To break is all I know
by Codry
Summary: Aizen escapes from Soul Society and meets Kurosaki Karin, a sarcastic tomboy who will end up teaching him the subtleties of the human world. A story about how love can be created from ash and burn down to ash again.
1. The soccer team

This is an idea my bf gave me for free … she's a generous one. I'm proud to say that my bf, snowAry (you should check her profile's description), has the best ideas that I have ever encountered in my life.

This is a short chapter, but I intend to make the next one longer and quite consistent … so… pleasant reading... along with the misspellings and the grammar mistakes.

I take quite a liking in coupling Karin with villains…it's fun … you should try it :D

**Important note: The action takes place after the Winter War. Ichigo did not lose his powers completely and in my version he can still see ghosts and Shinigami. Also it has nothing to do with the new arc and takes place 5 years after the Winter War.**

**Karin and Yuzu are 16 and in the second year of high-school, while Ichigo is 20 (he has just finished high school) and a student at an unimportant university. **

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 1: The soccer team**

Kurosaki Isshin was going catatonic. Why you may ask … well his little precious daughter … err … daughters were late for dinner. Another fact that did not snap in place was that sweet Yuzu was not home, so there was no dinner, therefore the previous statement was an illogic one. The ex captain didn't bother with his lack of logic and whined like a hurt puppy, crying at the poster of his deceased wife.

"They are late!" his face was squashed against the poster and it gave him a pathetic appearance reminding the witnessing Ichigo of a beaten up Renji. Rukia was quite violent when the pineapple head came with stupid ideas like "scaring that shit out of Byakuya" or "scaring the shit out of Rukia". You can guess the last one was the worst out of the two options.

"WHY!" cried the hurting father"My daughters are …"

"Home" Ichigo completed the sentence when the front door opened, revealing a worn out Karin and a humming Yuzu.

Karin saw her father's predicament, but she was way too tired to laugh or mock him about it. Yuzu was as happy as always and when she saw the kitchen, her smile widened visibly. Her own heaven was waiting to be used by the skillful cook (this should not by reminded in Orihime's case) and the Kurosakis were just as eager to taste her delicious dishes.

So, while Yuzu was preparing dinner, Karin took the responsibility to explain why they were so late.

"Sorry we were late, but our high school was choosing its soccer players" for one moment the girl's face brightened only to settle in a frown a moment later "But this guy …"

The way she said "_this guy_" could only be interpreted as annoyance, but Ichigo felt a hidden admiration in her words. He was about to ask what did she mean by 'this guy', when the always annoying father had to burst in the discussion.

"What guy? Did he do something inappropriate to you, my little _cactus_?" he grabbed a fork from the table's drawer and pointed it at the front door aggressively "I will show him that nobody can hurt a Kurosaki without hurting all of us. Let's go my son! We are the men in this family and it's out job to punish the ones who …" his speech continued in this direction for another –very long- half an hour.

Of course nobody paid any special attention to him, and while he was going on with his ramble, Ichigo had to satisfy his curiosity by asking Karin the question that was bugging him.

"Who's this guy you mentioned?"

Karin smirked at her brother "I cannot believe you're asking me that as well. I thought you were normal"

"I'm just curious" said Ichigo "You rarely say anything about school, so now that you have finally mentioned someone, I wanna know way. Is he your boyfriend?"

The glare Karin sent towards her brother was without a doubt the well know Kurosaki glare, and as a result Ichigo aborted the subject immediately. However Yuzu heard the short conversation and asked another embarrassing question.

"You mean the guy who rubbed you the wrong way?" Karin's eyes fell on her twin sister, and the annoyed look mirrored in her dark orbs gave up an interesting answer "So you meant him …"

Ichigo saw with the corner of his left eye the smirk which appeared on Yuzu's face, and even if just a moment ago he had gotten scared by Karin's glare, the curiosity got the best out of him determining him to pursue the subject.

"Now really Karin, be honest: who's this guy? He seems pretty important to me" his sister's reticence was proportional with his thirst for information … which made her unresponsive to his request "Yuzu could you tell me who's this guy that got Karin so … interested" when Yuzu just hummed happily, ignoring him, he snapped at his father

"Could you just stop from the bickering? It's one hell of an annoyance!"

"And so we, the Kurosakis, have a unique destiny which can be revealed only by fighting the cruel fate that was given to us by god…" but he didn't stop which really unnerved the orange haired Kurosaki.

"Is he for real?" asked Karin nobody in particular, since she already knew the answer …

No. Her father was not for real, because no real father would kick his son/daughter first thing in the morning with the pathetic excuse that this is his way of saying '_Good morning_'. Also no real father would tell his son that '_the breeding season had begun and he should go breed with Rukia … or Orihime … or both_'. The list could go on and on just like her father's mouth…

"In some cases I had found myself in trouble, but my friends saved me from an unworthy punishment … so that means that even if you feel like nothing can solve your problems you will always find help in …"

… or speech … which was getting longer than usual.

The fact that her brother was persisting in his quest of finding out what guy pissed her was not helping either. Sometimes the Substitute Shinigami was the spitting image of his father. Only these rare cases, which involved her or Yuzu could bring out this unseen side of Ichigo.

"It will not hurt if you tell me. I'm your brother not… our father"

This time Isshin stopped the ramble and made an acrobatic leap over the table punching an inattentive Ichigo straight in the face. The stoic boy was sent flying in the near wall, which reminded Karin why half of their expenses were thrown away on house reparations … usually the kitchen wall, the front door, Ichigo's window, Karin's window, Karin's door … sometimes even the fridge.

Karin saw with the corner of her eye her brother's expression and her feminine intuition, more like force of habit, told her this time their bill will be quite consistent. Her mind flew away …

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_(Earlier that morning)_

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"Kurosaki!" screamed the coach at her "Come here. The school committee has a request for you"

Karin grabbed her lucky ball and sprinted towards the captain thinking what did the school committee had to do with her. After all she was a tomboy soccer player who happened to kick harder than a boxer, and they were spoiled, rich bastards whose beliefs were that everybody and everything could be loaned.

When she was close enough, Karin could see a tall dark figure behind her coach, but she chose to ignore the person, fixing her point of attention on the idiot that was supposed to be her coach. The man was a walking disaster, but if the school committee appointed him as the best person to train the soccer team, Karin could only comply. This was one of the many bad decisions the committee had made.

"Because you are the captain, they _asked_ you to accept our new student in the soccer team" Karin rolled her eyes "and I hope you understand this is not open to debate"

The only good decision those pompous bastards had ever made was to make Kurosaki Karin as a captain, but now they were _asking_ stupid things and Karin was forced to compel because her position was on the line.

She peeked at the person she had ignored earlier, studying every aspect she was able to see with the bear eye alone.

"Is he the guy?" asked the girl pointing at the stoic male, whose expression didn't change during the short discussion between coach and captain.

"Yes. I will leave now to inform the committee that you accepted their representative" stated the trainer, only to be assaulted by Karin's harsh reply.

"I did not say yes …" she smirked at the brunette boy "We will see how good you are boy."

Karin threw the ball at the boy hoping he will dodge or scream like a girl, like most did when put face to face with the well-known, violent, Kurosaki captain. Unfortunately he did neither of them, settling on catching it in the palm of his hand like it was the most natural thing to do; his brown eyes never left Karin's face and the girl's nerves spiked.

He was pinning her down with those deep eyes, mocking her at the same time with a cruel smirk.

Karin may have thought of him as "_boy_", but he seemed older than a mere high school student. This impression was strengthened by his height and solid figure; the raw muscles that decorated the arms could be admired, since the summer uniform consisted in a tee-shirt, and she could guess that under the shirt she would find 6 or 8 packs of muscles.

The boy … well he was hardly a boy, so Karin settled on calling him _man_…the man looked quite bored and that irritated her subconsciously, because he had no idea how heavy her punch really was. She made an inner note to show him why the Kurosaki family was so _popular_ in Karakura.

Karin dozed off for a second giving the man an opportunity to strike; and he took it. For the inattentive girl it took only a second … he had the ball and then the ball was approaching her face at an abnormal speed.

'_Well, well … if the man has the guts to attack me directly, I will show him that I'm not the soccer team captain for nothing_'

Karin smirked and redirected the soccer ball with an acrobatic kick, sending it right back at her opponent. He took that as a declaration of war and kicked the ball with his left arm, making the game look more like volley than soccer. However this did not bother Karin one bit, because the ball was coming right back at her.

The strategist studied the field and decided on the following course of action rapidly. Her left foot made contact with the round object sending it, not at the man, but at the lamp post behind him, which in return redirected it straight at the back of her opponent. Unknown to her, the man was quite shrewd himself. He did not bother to kick it back, just dodged elegantly, forcing Karin to do the same thing when the ball came at her. However she did not take in consideration the lamp post behind her … that reflected the ball right at her weak spot: the back of the head.

Karin's ager was proportional with the gravity of the situation.

"That settles it" said the coach, way _too_ happily "You are now our new goalkeeper" she could almost hear the sarcasm in his voice "Welcome to the team Samaki"

"I didn't give my approval." barked Karin at the team leader.

"I think we both know he deserves …" but _Samaki _interrupted the conversation, speaking for the first time.

"I cannot believe you are the team captain" his voice was smooth, but deadly and it completely contradicted the words which left his mouth "If you are indeed the captain, your crew must be pretty pathetic"

Karin could feel her teeth as they cracked under the pressure and she almost lunched at the bastard who dared to humiliate her in front of her coach (even if he was a useless piece of meat that, apart from occupying precious space, didn't do anything clever)

The man grinned and Karin was suddenly hit by a wave of nausea. That guy was wearing one of the most malefic grins she had ever seen and that included all the hollows she had encountered in her life. She even flirted with the idea of running away from those eyes, from that frightening man, but she was stuck in place. It was a new sensation and somehow Karin felt … turned on by the fact that someone was able to control her so completely.

"Welcome to this … pathetic crew Samaki" the bitterness in Karin's voice was palpable "Now that you're one of _us_, I can only welcome you with open arms" Samaki's grin faded only to reappear right back in its rightful place.

"Aizen" he said stuffing his hands in the deep pockets of his pants "My name is Aizen Samaki"

His brown eyes scanned her slim and fragile figure, thinking of how such a little creature could kick so hard. Aizen was even tempted to massage his injured arm, but the male ego won in the end; he could not show how much that thrown ball really hurt his hand.

"Go and change Samaki" scoffed the girl at his curious glare "We have training to do"

Aizen shrugged, but complied with her request. Karin was too bossy and stubborn, even for someone like him.

"How am I supposed to call you, captain?"

Karin was approaching the benches when the man had asked for her name in a more subtle way. If he wanted to be subtle, so be it. She could play this game all day without getting bored.

"I'm you captain … and you will call me _captain_"

"Usually you say something before captain. A name" pacified Samaki.

"I'm captain … that's all" '_If this bastard wants my name … he's not going to get it_'

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(_Present_)

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'_Yeah … that guy was a total ass … but also a talented soccer player and the best I have ever seen since Toshiro_'

Karin's attention focused back on the living room, where Ichigo and Isshin were still engaged in a fierce fight over who was stronger.

Ichigo was literally banging his father's head against the wall smirking like an idiot and enjoying every second of it. The ex-captain was trying, in vain, to shake the boy off him failing miserably.

'_The Kurosaki males are and will forever be simple minded_' concluded Karin in her head.

The poster that represented the mother of the family attracted Karin's attention making her nervous again. That guy's smile was so sinister that she could almost swear … the devil had taken over him. The peaceful face of Masaki Kurosaki calmed the spike of fear which crossed her spine, but could not stop the bad thoughts from surrounding his name '_Aizen Samaki_'

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At the same time, in an abandoned building a tall man with brown eyes and freshly red dyed hair was glaring at the half asleep city _admiring_ the view, or so was the impression he gave to the passer by. His deep hate for Soul Society was underpinned by the apprehension he felt regarding this city …But Karakura was the place where the Shinigami would never look for him.

_He_ was living in Karakura, mocking him with his short bursts of uncontrolled reiatsu, treasured by his loyal friends. It made him sick to even remember that _he_ was the one to beat the crap out of him 6 years ago.

Even Shinji was living somewhere in Karakura along with his Vizard friends. A sly smile played at the corner of his lips, recalling his ex captain's face when he saw his _girlfriend _sliced in half by Ichimaru's sword. He had to admit. It had been quite a sight. Too bad Sarugaki Hiyori was alive and well, proving for the n-th time that Unohana's place as the Captain of the 4-th Squad was fully deserved.

Aizen smirked thinking that even the talented healer had her fair share of burns, especially from him. Not directly of course, but the toughest cases were done by his own sword. He thought of Hinamori; her injuries, both of them, were the perfect examples in this case. She had been severely hurt by Toshiro who believed he was fighting with a completely different individual, due to his flawless Complete Hypnosis. Aizen really wanted to take credit for that injury, but he had to give some of it the child-prodigy for playing like a fiddle in his hands.

"Sweet, little, fragile Hinamori-kun" mumbled Aizen "So easy to break … like a doll. A pretty little doll too naïve to realize that the one she loved … was a monster" his eyes were shining with evilness "I cannot blame her. I'm a good actor. 100 years of plotting against Soul Society are my proof"

The man raised his head, watching the stars and the bright full moon, thinking about his revenge and the way he will get it. His maroon eyes slipped onto the top of his hand. A bruise was forming on the inner part, the edges being visible on the outside. It would be hard to hide the injured hand at school, but at least the soccer gloves will come in handy.

Being reminded that tomorrow was Wednesday, Aizen asked himself, again, when in the name of god had he become so pathetic? He was _attending_ Karakura High School, he was _playing_ soccer, he had a _captain_ and the worst of them … he got bruised by a mere human girl … human.

Aizen studied his left palm, swearing it will be the last time this kind of incident will happen; his face suddenly brightened up "I'll enjoy breaking her"

He recognized, from the moment he set eyes on her, the fire and the courage that described her being. She was a tomboy with a bitchy attitude that screamed whenever her wishes were not fulfilled; he kind of guessed, from the way her teammates treated her, that she was throwing hard punches as well as she was throwing fast and powerful soccer balls.

But she was not the first tomboy he met. Hiyori was just as bad when it came to this boyish thing.

At first he could sense the fear sneaking inside her soul, but she just discarded it and composed herself, mocking him with that '_pathetic_' counterattack. His sarcasm came right back like a boomerang. This was another thing which amazed him; she was able, not only to stand up to him, but to reverse his words making him look like shit.

Aizen felt a short pain in the lower regions, but he ignored it, choosing to focus on the problems at hand. One of them was the fact that his gigai was eating way too much reiatsu. With the materials he could get his hands on without alerting the Shinigami, he had been able to build a faux human body, but quite imperfect and uncomfortable. After he had tried it, the conclusion came rapidly: the body was sucking his reiatsu like a black hole. However this was the price he was willing to pay, because due to this inconvenience, the reiatsu he emanated was practically zero.

The red head smirked thinking that Urahara's gigais were better than his could ever be, yet none of them were what he wanted. For his needs this product of a low budget was perfect.

He may not solve the problem in the near future, but for now hiding in the dark and waiting for the opportunity to strike was the only thing the once great captain could do.

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A/N: Isshin's expression "little cactus" is another idea I took from snowAry

I chose the color red for Aizen's hair because I couldn't picture him blond or orange green, blue, and dark hair … nooo … so RED


	2. Computer science? F1 Captain?

This was my idea, but snowAry was the one that really created half of the dialogs:D I couldn't help myself, and a clueless Aizen can be really funny … even his majesty, the royal badass Aizen has to learn the basics of computer science

**Note****: F1 is a "shortcut" for Help. We have this joke … only the computer geeks can really understand its meaning … or the ones that pressed F1 by mistake :D**

**Question: What screams a programmer while he's drowning?**

**Answer: F1!**

Told you it's only for geeks. Sorry :D

**Note nr2****: For those who think Aizen is OC, I have an explanation. He is bitter and wants revenge from Soul Society and Ichigo. I bet that after 5 years spent in prison you would be the same. Anyway … during that time he kind of lost his "touch". Don't worry he'll be the manipulative bastard we all know, but a sarcastic one.**

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**To b****reak is all I know**

**Chapter 2: Computer science! F****1 Captain!**

For the high school seniors, the forth year was an agglomerated period, because they had, apart from the BIG final exams and admission in university, the usual homework, the constant bickering of under evaluated teachers and even extracurricular activities.

Our villain was no exception of this rule. However the madman gave no importance to his studies, for various reasons (like the fact that he is a freaking villain), at least until that day ….

_11:00, Wednesday__, the Computer science course._

A small and fat man, that resembled an overweighted balloon, was trying to explain to his students what the importance of computer science was. The lecture was plain stupid, and Aizen kept on thinking if the man was planning to stop in the near future. His stomach emitted the annoying noise that alerted its user of its emptiness.

"Our subject is called Computer science and most of you may believe that it includes only software." the teacher mimicked an X with his hands "Wrong"

"But teacher" interrupted a boy "Computer science is by definition a subject that studies the algorithmic part" another classmate silently agreed with a nod, while the other continued "We learned last year all there is to know about graph theory and before that we studied the data structures and different algorithms on them"

With a smile of his own, the teacher mocked his students "You will never learn all there is to know, especially about a vast subject like graph theory. If I were to tell you all I know about some pretty interesting problems we encounter in a graph … you will have to skip dinner and even your beauty sleep"

A girl giggled at the comment, and another one muffled a snicker.

"Anyway … let's get down to business" said the fat man smirking at everyone "This semester we study the internal structure of the computer. I bet you all know how it works, but you do not understand why it works. It's a delicate subject, because it requires massive amounts of information and even some notions of physics. I would say elementary notions of physics, but I'm afraid they are sometimes more advanced than a high school teacher's training"

The whole class, except Aizen, shuddered in fear hearing the words that ensured a hard year, and an even harder exam.

"But don't despair" continued the teacher nonchalantly "I'm not a physics teacher, so it's not my duty to teach you these things. They are way too complicated. So first of all let's start the computer and see if you remember the basics in computer science, and then we can go on with our real matters"

Andy, the class representative, a slim and tall guy that lacked elegance and beauty, took the responsibility to distribute the seats, and ironically our antihero was chosen to be his partner. At least he could use the stupid human to do his bidding, which was, in this case, to use the piece of metal in Aizen's place.

Now that he had the possibility to study the object, it looked foreign, and even if Soul Society had advanced technology, their prototype system was totally different. In other words Soul Society and the human world evolved in parallel, without touching or interacting in any way.

"Hello" Aizen heard a voice from behind, which belonged to the class representative "My name is Andrew. I already know your name, but I thought it would be appropriate to introduce myself" and he waved warmly at him.

Aizen mimicked a pleasant simile that melted the other's heart in a puddle the moment he saw it. "Thank you" his smooth and gentle voice echoed, leaving Andy struck in place.

The boy was trying to recollect his thoughts and words (and reconsider/doubt his _orientation_), a blush appearing on his face, near the cheekbones. He stammered something undecipherable, and left through the door in a hurry.

'_This is bad_' thought Aizen, as other students were pressing the start button. He copied them, but when a blue screen appeared, which magically transformed in another screen with a flower on it … a photo of a flower … any logic was lost. Finally, realizing that this object cero-ed by Grimmjow was a mystery, Aizen reluctantly asked for help.

Imagine the teacher's utter amazement, when a senior high school student came at his desk and asked politely if he could show him how to use the computer.

"You are kidding, right?" asked the fatty, thinking that Aizen was mocking him, or was doing a stupid dare.

However Aizen looked serious enough; the teacher sighted loudly, attracting unwanted attention towards the ex-captain and said just as loud, so the others could hear. If it was done intentionally or not did not matter, because from now on Aizen will become the back sheep of the class.

"Look. I will ask a freshman to attend you in … learning how to utilize a computer" Mr. Fat teacher scratched his chin thinking and then came with an idea, lights metaphorically appearing in his eyes.

"You're in the soccer team, right?"

"Yes" he nodded, hoping that he will excuse him, because he was busy with training, but no … his idea was pointing elsewhere.

"I will ask your captain to assist you. She's pretty good at computer science, better than an average senior. Please be at 3 o'clock back here …"

Aizen fought with his anger and ego in order to keep his "gentle" appearance on his face. And somehow he knew that his patience will be tested at these computer science private classes.

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"So let me get this straight" said Karin while gesturing towards the unidentified piece of metal "You have no idea what is this object?"

"It's a computer" stated Aizen watching her like a hawk with his intense brown gaze. He tried to act like a calm and gentle soul, but in a corned of him mind, he knew the girl won't buy it.

"Let's me rephrase that Samaki" she cracked her knuckles "You had never used a computer?"

Aizen was slowly getting impatient with Karin's antiques, and now he was really rethinking if Grimmjow was worse than her. At least he had the decency of bowing before his unlimited god-like power … but his captain was just too stupid to realize just how insanely dangerous his person was.

"No" he answered reticently.

"You really did NOT touch a computer in your entire life?" repeated Karin, still unsure if she had ear issues, or if her brain was not receiving the correct information from the peripheries.

Aizen was at his limit, so he cracked a false smile, hoping that it will be enough to creep her out. Karin glared at his face, but didn't back down; she was enjoying every second of mockery directed at her gatekeeper, and to give up such a rare chance of pure fun, was impossible.

"No" growled the man "Can we move on?"

The young Kurosaki was having the time of her life. First her father didn't assault her in any physical way that morning, then Yuzu cooked her favorite combination for breakfast, toasted cheese with bread and milk and in the end, Samaki was a retard.

"Sorry" the girl's face brightened up coming with an ingenious plan and another way of screwing with the clueless male.

"Please … do tell me that you know where babies come from!" her sly smile could put to shame even the infamous Espada, but Aizen didn't budge responding her scandalous question with one of his own.

"I do" his smooth and seductive voice amplified its qualities "If you don't know … I can show you. That's if you passed the _stork_ level, of course"

Karin's face took a dark shade of red, but quickly revised her composure, mumbling grudgingly "You think you're such a smartass"

"I never said I'm an ass"

Karin shot in his direction a murderous glare, fighting with the killing instinct; that man was a real pain in the ass … and a pompous bastard with a god complex.

'_He thinks he's so smart_' thought the raven girl, while her interlocutor walked towards a computer and took a seat in front of it, on the comfy, black chair '_I guess I can take my revenge during the preaching_'

Aizen saw an opportunity and mockingly said "Ok teach … where do we start?"

Karin was about to snap at him, but in the last moment an idea came in her sarcastic mind. She occupied the chair besides Aizen, and began the lesson in a monotone and dull voice "Please start the computer"

Aizen searched for the button that was usually pressed in order to start the computer. Thank god he saw a demonstration in class, or the bitch standing near him would have another motive to make fun of his lack of knowledge. However the girl found a way to piss him off … again.

"Good" she grabbed a candy from her backpack and hand it to him sweetly "You deserve a candy"

With an expression that could only mean trouble, Aizen slapped her hand away and suddenly snapped "Are you fucking with me?" his usually calm and confident eyes mirrored an unusual anger and the girl felt a string of fear rise in her gut. Aizen made no secret in showing her how evil and dangerous was his presence.

She backed away from instinct, almost falling from the chair. Her blue eyes found the madness hidden in his brown orbs, but maybe the misogynistic part manifested, pushing her forward till their nose touched.

The brown haired ex-captain stared her dead in the eye, while the girl slowly approached.

"I am not afraid of you" she said emphasizing every word in order to assure him of their truthiness "I can clearly see that you are malefic and harmful, but I'm no pushover either. You will stay here and listen to my rant for as long as it takes to make you understand how this thing works" Karin pointed at the box of aluminum "And you will listen, and learn, and be a good boy" she moved even closer, her eyes boring holes in his brown ones "And as a bonus request … please stop acting like a lunatic"

Aizen's poker face did not let loose the flow of emotions sweeping his being. However it did not mean he was not feeling them: anger, hate, surprise, attraction were just the ones he could name. On the outside, he smiled at his soccer captain.

"I never intended to scare you, captain" his sweet and ego-brushing voice was in place, covering for his earlier burst of anger.

It unnerved him that he revealed his façade from the first moment he met her. She didn't see through it, he let her see through it.

In a swift motion, the Kurosaki was back in her seat "You are full of shit Aizen. Really full of shit"

He hadn't realized that Karin used his surname, instead of his fake first name, just like she hadn't realized how strange his name sounded coming from her lips, or the fact that she knew this name from somewhere else.

"Why thank you captain" which meant 'you're a bitch' in Aizen's language.

Karin sighted as a sign of stress, but thought that their previous fight should be forgotten, since computer science will not enter her gatekeeper's head with only a flick of her wrist. How much she wanted to be in a different world … maybe Harry Potter's; at least there she could make illusions a reality.

"So … at least you know how to start a computer"

"I do not understand why you have to make such a fuss over a useless piece of metal?" asked the villain, genuinely curious, hoping for an answer that will cover the subject.

However Karin's temper resurfaced, talking him by surprise … for the second time.

The girl rose from her seat, snarling dangerously at her companion "You know what. We're done"

"We're not a couple … we cannot be _done_"

Our little firecracker was trying not to punch, kill or knock out the red haired retard. Moreover every little comment he made was getting her over the edge. She didn't mean over the edge in that sense, more like spilling the water over the edge.

"You know what … go to hell. I'll be more that happy to see you next year, repeating the 12-th grade…" she grabbed the blue bag that belonged to her brother "because you failed your computer science exam"

She was abruptly stopped by Aizen's smooth voice "It's not my fault that you're a lousy teacher"

"Than I guess it's not my fault you're a lousy student" she attacked right back, not staying in defense for too long. It was impossible to stay in defense with a man like Aizen

"Look" pacified the read head "I will try to pay attention to whatever nonsense you _have_ to say about this box, if you stop the sarcasm" he was bored by the constant bitching, and truth to be told, Karin was really tiring when trying.

The girl thought for a second and finally decided to truce "Ok. I guess we would better start" Karin said while retaking her seat "Let's start with the base." she rapidly took a teacher's stance, proud and conceit with a drop of inflexibility typical at university professors.

"What is that?" asked Aizen pointing at the keyboard … he did not know that its official name was keyboard yet.

Karin sniffed loudly, but in the last moment decided against an ironic statement "It's a keyboard" she was about to explain to him how it worked when connected to a computer, when the man had to ask:

"What's a keyboard?"

"Are you trying to be stupid?" growled the girl at him.

Aizen gritted his teeth together releasing a screeching sound of some sort. The girl took it as a form of annoyance, and continued with the questions, ignoring the death glares coming from her companion. If looks could kill, Karin would have been six feet under from the moment she kicked the ball at the ex-captain.

"What's this?" and she made a nonchalant gesture at what we call the "mouse"

Aizen studied the object in total silence and when he was absolutely sure he got something right regarding the thing, he answered confidently.

"It's made of plastic"

…

"Anything else?" she asked again, hoping for useful information

"No"

"This thing made of plastic is called a mouse" her hands turned the object over, pointing at the laser on its bottom "this red light is a **light-emitting diode, a LED usually said in common language. When I'll show how it works when connected to a computer, I'll also detail the inner structure**"

A rose eyebrow was the only clue Karin got before another pearl left the red head's mouth "That doesn't look like a mouse. It still looks like a piece of plastic to me"

After two seconds of debating on her following actions, Karin decided on breaking the truce, even if that meant a broken promise. She could live with this pretty easily, since her conscience was practically zero.

"And I presume you lived under a rock till now?"

"Are you trying to be funny?" smiled Aizen sweetly at her, the corner of his lips turning upward in an amusing smirk. Another killing leer replaced the fake look of guileless in his eyes.

"No" she answered seriously, looking at him, dead in the eye, not afraid of the receiving harmful glare "Now let's continue. I'll repeat so even a moron like you would understand"

She presented the keyboard with a wide gesture "This is the KEYBOARD it's very IMPORTANT . It has BUTTONS … little square things that you press. Look …" and she slowly pressed the D key probably demonstrating how it's done "You push the button down, and when you're finished, you release it like this" and she took her finger off the key "and it returns in the same position it was prior to the pressing" her eyebrows went upwards indicating surprise "It's like magic"

Aizen twitched in a nervous tic; it was the only sign of annoyingness the ex-captain had shown since the beginning of Karin's speech, but it will not be the last … definitely.

"Useless" he mumbled under his breath, in a silent whisper

When hearing just how not impressed was the gatekeeper by her discourse, she used a different strategy to attract his attention.

"There are things that the human mind cannot comprehend. So we created a tool that can simplify the process"

However Aizen was not impressed by this, as a matter of fact he was surer than ever of the humans' pathetic nature. They were a bunch of idiots that wasted their time building boxes that could implement the things they were not able to do. To use an object with this intention was pathetic, indeed. Somewhere in his mind, the thought of hypocrisy struck him, but too far to be considered even conscious.

"The computer has many utilities" said Karin, happy that at least she was not interrupted by her sarcastic companion. He was standing by her side, listening to her rant, which came as a big surprise. She continued, eying him suspiciously "You can edit a text, you can send messages anywhere around the world, you can watch movies, listen to any kind of music you like, and other things that are too complex for your underdeveloped intellect"

"Somehow I doubt that"

Karin continued nonchalantly, ignoring the red head's attempt of irony.

"These are what we call the peripheries. There are three kinds of peripheries: in(I), out(O) and in/out(I/O). The keyboard is an 'in' kind of peripheral" he was about to ask why, when Karin answered his silent question "You can enter whatever text in whatever retarded language you use just by pressing the keys."

Aizen bit his tongue down in order to stop the flow of obscenities coming out, being incredibly pleased, when only a hiss escaped. However Karin continued with her harsh and unmerciful discourse.

"This is a mouse, which has content, unlike your brain" the antihero rubbed his hands in despair "And this is the screen … and look" she pointed at the flower decorating it "it's colored" her voice acquired a childish tone in order to accentuate Aizne's retarded nature.

"Stop talking like that"

Growled Aizen dissatisfied with the girl's way of teaching and way of talking; he was so annoyed, that he even thought of a good way to kill her.

"Don't complain. I'm trying to make things easier for a retarded prick we all know"

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself; I know that deep inside you are not a prick"

With a glare and a flick, Karin continued. It was a Kurosaki main feature to avoid the things you don't like, or something that it's unimportant for your future development.

"Here it's the real magic. When you move the mouse … look at the cursor" she said turning towards Aizen that was staring equally at her "I said look at the screen, moron!"

The prick was resting his head on the hand, and had a bored look on his face that expressed, apart from total boredom, a hint of sadistic intent. His eyes were barely ajar, but she could distinguish the brown patterned behind them. He was that far gone, that he suggested an outrageous thing.

"Make me" his soft smile turning into a grin.

If Karin had been one of those filthy little whores that decorated the high school in a bright and disgusting color, she would have blushed like an idiot and maybe even respond, but she wasn't so she … slapped him over the head, ignoring his comment.

'_What the hell is going on_' though Aizen, checking her figure for the first time '_I said … it doesn't matter_'

His eyes traveled lower studying the gray skirt required to be worn by the female students. It was the only thing that gave up her gender; apart from that … nothing. She had no bust, her legs were sinewy and lacked femininity, her face was plain, her eyes were dark blue, shaped like a trapeze, and over all these flaws, she had short black hair, barely reaching her ears. If it wasn't for the 100 years of Shinigami experience, he may have mistaken her for a guy. An honest mistake, judging her boyish, totally male appearance.

"Are you done day dreaming?" asked Karin, waking him up from the unwanted daze.

She was wearing that insufferable smirk and her hands were currently resting on her hips. He couldn't be sure if 'hips' was the correct term, since her square figure didn't let any curve appear and thus no hips.

"No, I'm not done daydreaming."

"Too bad" Karin continued like nothing happened "When you move the mouse, the cursor will move the way you previously moved the mouse … well in the same direction"

"You're the worst teacher I have ever had" 'in 100 years of existence' wanted to add Aizen "And your teaching style is utterly and unalterably chaotic"

"Now …you see these two buttons … they are really big, so even an incompetent like you should see them"

Aizen was surer and surer that Karin had removable earplugs. This was the only logical explanation for her temporary deafness; deafness that coincidently appeared when he was being ironic and just as coincidently followed by a rude remark regarding him.

"The left button is for _open_. With the left button you open folders, files, hyperlinks, anything. The right one … it's usually for proprieties. In the normal usage, we say click to the left click and right click to the right click"

Meanwhile Aizen was counting the seconds, deciding if the time was passing slower than usual, or wasn't passing at all, being stuck in place by his boredom.

"Let's recapitulate "snapped suddenly Karin, waking the man from the pleasant slumber "This is the computer, this is the start button, blah, blah, blah"

Aizen rose an eyebrow saying "I wrote the blah, blah, blah" he even mused if there was any sense to what she had said "I'm terribly bored and I didn't learn anything useful"

Again she didn't give a flying fuck 'bout his words and the antihero began to create a diabolic plot in which she was hanged by her throat, without …

"What's that?" asked Karin impatiently making chaotic gestures towards the mouse.

The man had two choices: answer seriously, which from computer science's point of view meant 'don't answer', or make fun. It wasn't a tough choice, so Aizen smiled sweetly (sadistic) in her direction and said just as sweetly.

"The content of your head"

….

"AIZEN!"

At least this time she heard him. He was 100 percent sure she heard his reply; and that the whole school heard hears … not reply, because that was a scream combined with a yell, a shout and an overdose of roaring.

Conclusion: Don't ignore Aizen.

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Something I cannot add in my story plot, but ….

"_I guess you __**had**__ to dye your hair red … too bad it's not pink Samaki."_

"_I really want to kill you captain"_

"_I will not be the first __or the last"_

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A/N: Till next time … and don't forget I do not own Bleach (thank god I don't or Karin would have a harem of villains)

YEAH! Karin is the best character in Bleach! I was afraid I was the only one that thought so … happy I'm not :D

Anyway for now I'll keep the chapters light and humorous :)


	3. Explanations & Windows

Hakkuchi – I said in the first chapter" he seemed older than a mere high school student"; but you're right … now I regret I didn't make him her teacher; maybe in the next story (oneshot). And I love crack parings as much as you do … thanks again

**Note: Just like Hakkuchi pointed out, Aizen is too old to be mistaken for a high school student, so I came with a solution *tumultuous cheering*. What? You thought I'll tell you? Haha …. no**

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 3: Explanations & Windows**

When Sousuke Aizen was just a child living in Rukongai, his aspirations were different from now. He was a happy child, living with his mother, playing with other kids, being a simple spirit, without any care in the world, being loved and appreciated for his soft character. Nothing changed until that hideous day, the day his powers were awakened. Deep, embedded in his soul was one of the strongest illusion type Zanpakuto … a cruel, merciless sword … just like him.

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"Good morning, Aizen-kun"

It was the voice Aizen heard first in thing in the morning, just before the clock could strike 7. It was also the only warning he got before the cover was snatched from his grip and a coarse, annoying voice screamed in his ear:

"WAKE UP BOY!"

This was his _adoptive father._ A man without any trace of brain, elegance, intelligence, or anything remotely close. This was one of the many reasons he chose him to be his legal guardian.

"I'm awake" smiled Aizen gently, hoping for a miracle, which undoubtedly didn't come.

He slipped his legs over the bed's edge in order to reach his brown slippers, but the brute of a man grabbed the back of his pajamas and yanked him towards them. Aizen hissed in pain, because the gigai he created was very sensitive to any motion.

It didn't matter with how much force or speed it was hurt or yanked, but that didn't mean he wasn't feeling the impact. His gigai was fragile in comparison to a normal human body, but it could stay in one piece against blows that a human body could not; as any thing, it had its lights and shades.

The father screamed something unintelligible at Aizen, but through a miracle the ex-captain understood the meaning of his words.

"I'll be ready in two minutes" stated Aizen slowly, waiting for _his_ reply.

"One"

'_Stupid creature called human being'_ thought Aizen, while smiling deceivingly '_After I will regain my powers I'm going to snap his neck in two_'

Of course that on the outside Aizen prepared an innocent mask, mimicking admiration and a tiny drop of grief, the last one being especially for that annoying creature's grossness. Maybe when he dies and goes to Soul Society, he'll enter the Academy and if he graduates he'll be recruited by the 11-th Squad and killed by the barbarians living there.

"Are you ready, dear?" asked a woman when Aizen failed to realize that his minute has expired; he had his reasons … he was way too engrossed in foreseeing that creature's death … err … second death, because concerning the first, he had some pretty eccentric ideas that involved some interesting object he stole from the 12-th Squad.

"Your father is not a patient man" continued the woman

'_Tell me about it_'

His _adoptive mother_ was a beautiful woman without a doubt, but somehow her face reflected shallowness and her two greasy blue orbs were too close to each other, making her appearance pitiable. She was the perfect match for that man … simple, calm and not very intelligent … not at all.

And on top of this, she was easy to manipulate; the perfect being for a master in deceiving and plotting like Aizen.

He remembered the first time he came at their door, asking for a place to stay for the night. It was a rainy day and his cloths were soaked, his resemblance to a sponge being evident. Through a miracle (more like careful scheming) the woman accepted him in the house and after only one hour of talking she fell for him … hard and deep like a rock in an endless river.

But Aizen wasn't surprised over this feat for two obvious reasons: one was his younger and he would say, hotter body, but judging the fact that he was just as hot before … wasn't any particular difference; the second reason was his peculiar talent in maneuvering people and their emotions. So when he came like a savior, like an angel in his _adoptive mother_'s life, she accepted him without asking questions about his past.

Also, that creature called her husband, couldn't keep it in his pants when the woman suggested in a sweet, seductive voice her wish of keeping him as their adoptive son.

'_Stupid humans_' thought the villain, while gathering the necessary things for another boring school day. He kind of recalled his previous talk with Karin, that between screams and swears said something about an extra-large computer science lesson

…. extra-large sounds dangerous ….

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"I'm back! Samaki!" yelled Karin using his first name this time "Are you ready?"

Without any sign of hesitation, Aizen nodded. On the other hand, Karin seemed pleased with herself, for an unknown reason. Moreover she was radiating happiness through every cell of her body … what made her so happy? ….

"Start the computer" ordered Karin, being as bossy as always.

Aizen complied by pressing the start button reluctantly.

"I will leave the theoretical part for another day, since you suck so much at this" and she pointed at the PC "Today you will learn how to use it"

The widening smile/smirk on Karin's face was no good news for the villain, which disliked the subject more and more. Karin continued the speech, almost humming. If it wasn't for the fact that she was a rational creature that should have reduced the instinctual part from her being, he would have said that she was in heat.

A gross conclusion without a doubt …

"I will try a different approach, because the last one was clearly not appropriate for your undeveloped intellect"

Aizen forgot any previous thought he had about her possible happiness, realizing that this creature called _captain_ was the biggest bitch ever created by the human kind.

"And don't go ballistic, just because I said the truth" she continued nonchalantly taking a seat beside him at the computer. Her right hand easily found the mouse and the lesson began.

For the n-th time Aizen was stuck in this peculiar predicament with a perky girl …. err … tomboy, a computer and a fucking reiatsu sucking gigai

"These are the icons" her hand maneuvered the mouse over some strange shaped mini pictures "if you do a double left click, like this" and she demonstrated by pressing the named button twice "the object represented by the picture will open"

"There are different types of icons: folders, images, text files, music …" and she exemplified by pointing them out with the irreplaceable help of the cursor.

Aizen was expecting something exquisite from this "computer", but all he got was a cheap lesson thought by an average girl. It was true that school on earth couldn't compete with the well known Shinigami Academy, but to find out that they were at a totally different level was shocking.

So Aizen thought that if the lesson will go in this boring direction again, the least he could do, was to have fun … on her expense.

"Folders, images, text files … blah, blah, blah …" stated the said man, watching Karin's expression change from anger to amusement in a fraction of a second.

In the short time he had spend with the girl, he instinctively learned to predict, at a certain level, her reactions (and their speed) to whatever he said, and now, the villain was 100% sure that Karin was about to say something _bad_ about him.

So it didn't come as a surprise when Karin quoted an old saying, smirking like a demon.

"What's done by the human is copied by the monkey."

Aizen just smiled, or he tried to. However this gesture was ten times harder, with the little vixen around him.

So instead of forcing his face in an unwanted expression, he glared dangerously at Karin, being rewarded with a well deserved frown. Somewhere deep inside him, a switch clicked, reminding him of the strange resemblance this girl's frown had with another one from his past.

"Let's continue" suddenly said Karin like nothing had happened "I will double click on this file, a music file. Pay attention"

And Karin double clicked on the file. However it didn't occur to either of them that the music file's name was 'Shut up and sleep with me'. The girl's blame was bigger, since Aizen had the excuse of being a computer retard.

In conclusion it came as a surprise when from the station a loud and annoying voice sang (or something remotely close to it) "_Shut up and sleep with me …_" over and over again …

The villain watched in awe as Karin's face changed from total white to red, settling for an ambiguous shade of greenish yellow. Her expression was even funnier: ogled eyes, almost falling from their orbs that gave her already unbeautiful face, an unnecessary drop of ugliness.

"Horny bastards" mumbled the girl as an excuse for the distasteful music "I swear that our generation is obsessed with …" Karin stammered the next words getting red as a tomato, as she explained her opinion regarding the music's unusual lyrics and their relationship with the delicate subject of sex.

Imagine the girl's horror when she realized that she had just said those things in front of a boy. As a result her previously green face acquired a shade of bright red.

On the other hand, Aizen was ignoring whatever happened with his captain's emotions/colors, being now busy with a distant memory from his long forgotten past … to be exact, he was remembering Shinji's taste in music. A strange one indeed but at least better than a melody that repeated over and over again "Shut up and sleep with me"

In the mean time, Karin regained a little confidence, even if she was still shaken up by the lyrics. So her lecture in computer usage continued.

"To close the window you have to press this button" and the cursor moved over the red X from the top right corner of the window. Karin left clicked on the said button, and the window closed, along with the insufferable music.

Silence enveloped the room with its wings, leaving an annoying awkwardness behind. Karin sniffed loudly, but didn't say anything, fearing that her words will sound spooky in the already uneasy environment.

"Err … Okay …" her words didn't disperse the sensation "This is a picture … open it"

The command was rapidity followed by Aizen's counterattack

"I'm not touching that thing" it was his total deny regarding the maneuvering of the mouse.

On the other hand, Karin just repeated, hoping for a positive answer from the stubborn red head "Take the mouse in your hand and double click on this icon" she even snarled at him "Today if you are kind enough"

"I said I'm not touching this thing. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever"

The well known sound of screeching teeth, reached Aizen's ears without having any effect on his already formed opinion. He wasn't against touching the mouse, but the image of an angry Karin was too attractive; so his sudden apprehension towards any contact with the object, was a stupid excuse for seeing Karin angry.

"And I repeat … Take the damn thing in your hand, or I will make sure you will not be able to touch any fucking object ever again" her ravished appearance made the threat even more dangerous. It was crystal clear that the girl was not joking around, and if he was continuing in this direction, the threat will become reality in no time.

However Aizen was not impressed, deciding on ignoring the girl despite her previous words. He even stated with a bored voice.

"I think something was thrown from the school's rooftop"

"I will throw you from the rooftop if you don't stop" snarled Karin angrily

The villain didn't respond immediately, replying only after a smirk decorated his already beautiful face.

"Dangerous. I peed in my pants"

"Big baby" stated Karin with a similar tone of mockery

Only after this, the girl realized that the previous state of awkwardness was completely gone, replaced by (as strange as it sounds) understanding. She felt something deep inside … and it wasn't a bad feeling, not at all.

It was strange, yet comforting to know that it was someone in this world that could stand up to her, that could tolerate her fiery temper without getting burned, that could endure her threats … that could be in the same room as her without running like a scared cat after 2 minutes.

Still he was a pretty boy … she wasn't (obviously she wasn't a boy)

While Karin was daydreaming, Aizen decided to stop the mockery ...He took the mouse and proceeded in opening the picture … well … he was proceeding, but he wasn't succeeding

A burst of laughter echoed in the closed space, its source being nobody else than Karin; she even told him between laughs and hiccups, exactly why this was her reaction.

"This is a mouse, not a sword. You look like you're ready to slash me in two"

When hearing her response, Aizen mumbled grudgingly "Believe me, I am ready"

Luckily for the villain, Karin didn't hear him, since she was way too busy laughing her lungs out and watching his fail attempts of mouse-moving. Hilarious was not good enough to describe the sight's amusingness.

"You're making fun on my expense" glared Aizen, the always present creepy smile, being absent for the time being.

"Hate to break it to you boy, but I make fun of everyone"

After this reply, the laughter gradually softened, the only traces left, being short, irregular bursts. Only after she was 100% sure that the danger of laughing her ass off was a mile away, Karin dared to continue the lesson.

She tried to explain that the mouse has to be stationed on a flat surface, because of the LED, and from here, another massive-boring lecture that included the LED's utility and usage. When the antihero was this close to falling asleep, Karin suddenly realized that her method was not working, so she tried the classic sarcasm.

"If you keep the mouse in the air, it will be as useless as your brain"

As you might expect, it didn't work, only triggering Aizen's murderous glare and his deadly rage; his calm façade was slowly, but surely crumbling, letting the dangerous and sadistic inside take over.

'_Maybe I forgot to put a façade with her_' were the words that entered his mind, without realizing they were his own thoughts '_Because I do not feel like I'm acting … And even if I'm boiling with rage, I know it's my _own_ reaction, not something that's expected from my fake personality… It feels … strange_' his inner debate continued, changing the subject from _his personality_ to _Karin_ '_… and what's even stranger … she knows I'm angry, she knows I'm not a good guy, she knows that I am not to be played with … and yet she doesn't care … she doesn't fear_'

"Are you still here?" asked Karin waving the right hand before his empty eyes "I guess not"

'_She's fearless … and I will enjoy even more breaking this firecracker_'

Aizen's expression became incredibly dark and scary, freaking the girl out of her mind yet again. She didn't react in any way, but in the depth of her soul a warning flashed, a warning that commanded: _Stay away from him_.

"Let's continue" cautiously said Karin, pointing at the mouse "Try again …"

He touched the mouse, this time keeping it on the table, but still unable to move the cursor in the right direction. Karin sighed and decided to help him with the directions. Her left hand came in contact with his right hand (that was over the mouse). Neither of them could say such a ridiculous thing, but a bolt gone trough their bodies, leaving them speechless for at least half a minute. The first one to move was Karin.

First she moved the hand forward, ushering Aizen to study the movement; then, when the cursor was on the same line as the picture, her hand, along with Aizen's shifted toward the image file. Finally reaching their destination, she double-clicked on the man's index finger, which in return double-clicked on the mouse.

"What the fuck …." exclaimed Karin, scaring a little bird that found shelter on the window frame.

If it wasn't for the fact that Aizen was a respected and elegant villain, he would have undoubtedly reacted the same way. Especially since the picture they worked so hard to open was one of the grossest he had ever seen … and it happened quite often to see Matsumoto drunk at a party, throwing her stomach out, but this was more disgusting than that.

"God … damn it … it's … ehhj" snapped the girl, covering her eyes with one hand, while the other was searching for the mouse. She bumped in his hand and grabbed the object, along with his arm of course. The quest of closing the image file became difficult, because it was undoubtedly harder to close a window without your eyesight.

Aizen found the view very funny, so he stated calmly, hoping for an appropriate reaction.

"You have to press the red X from the right top corner, in case you didn't know"

"I know … damn it … I know" screamed Karin, clicking randomly on the screen. Unknown to her, one click was executed on the printing button, so when the printer's roar echoed in the silent room, the raven girl froze in her seat.

"What's that?" asked Aizen, curious to know, what was the machine that created such a distinctive noise.

"The sound of my demise"

"What?" asked the man, raising an eyebrow at her obvious melodrama.

But Karin didn't answer. She jumped like a cat from the seat, and threw herself on the strange looking object that made the buzzing noise. It became stranger when her hands grabbed the piece of paper that threatened to enter the machine, forcing it to stop the advancement. She leveraged the chances by putting a foot against the countertop and pushing herself backwards, along with the piece of paper.

Aizen watched the scene in total awe, and when the paper cracked in the middle, his awe turned into amusement. He knew what was about to happen …

"Ahhhhh!" yelled Karin at the top of her lungs, while clashing violently in a near by table. The stack of papers safely deposited there, spread all over the place due to the trauma of being disturbed, some of them fitting themselves in her already messy hair.

She flexed the arm's muscles, raising the upper part of her body from the ground … only to slip on a greasy photo representing a horse. The back of her head hit the ground with a loud bang that shook the whole room. From under them, a woman's voice screamed something about delaying the furniture moving for later, preferably the break. Nobody knew that Karin's head was as heavy as a piece of furniture.

In the mean time, Aizen was smirking at her predicament. The look on her face was priceless, and the man was sure he will never forget it.

"Are you done staring at me?" snapped Karin at the said man, earning an expected answer in return.

"No" the arrogant smile widened on his face "It's way too entertaining"

"Motherfucker"

"I'm not going to respond to this"

"You'd better not" she glared at him, but realized that her back was severely hurt by the double fall, making a stunt like earlier impossible "… now help me up"

It took all the pride plus an extra annoyance to say those words. For Kurosaki Karin to declare she needed help was one hell of an exception. However, the man smirked, his perfect shaped teeth shining dangerously at her; this was, as Karin will learn on her own skin, a sign of future irony. And as predicted Aizen told her, the same old scary smirk still painted on his lips.

"Afraid you'll fall again?" when Karin didn't approve, he continued "Or unable to rise from the ground?" she stiffened, resembling a wooden board. Even she knew how ridiculous she looked in that moment, elongated on the ground, rigid and with a face that could kill the dead … and if she knew, Aizen was just as aware of it.

"Shut up … Mr. Smarty Pants"

"Hit a nerve?"

"Fuck off"

"Why, thank you." And he left the chair in a swift movement, walking towards the door. It was no philosophy to see that he was preparing to leave the laboratory.

"What are you doing Samaki?" inquired Karin, still on the ground, but looking slightly better. A stripe of red had appeared on her cheekbones, coloring her previously white face.

"Obviously going home"

"You can go home, but first help me up"

Karin commanded with a rough tone, leaving no space for contradiction, but Aizen didn't give a shit about her request. As a matter of fact, he had his pride to keep in place, and obeying a snotty girl was not on the to-do-list.

"You do not command me little girl … nobody commands me" he growled his eyes sparkling with annoyance. Inside his hazel orbs that dangerous spark appeared again in order to establish his place as a true villain.

As a result, Karin felt the insult, but a wave of uneasiness washed over her being: maybe it was from the fact that those freaky eyes were digging holes in hers, maybe it was from the fact that her back was hurting more and more in the uncomfortable position, maybe it was from the fact that her gatekeeper described her as a "little girl", or maybe it was a little bit of all of them.

However it meant nothing, since Karin wasn't the one to get over things, especially when they involved an insult directed at her person. So she snarled angrily

"I'm not a little girl …"

"Yes … you are right" agreed rapidity Aizen, which took Karin by surprise, but it didn't last long because the man continued confirming the girl's guess "You are not a girl" he even checked her figure one last time, hoping for a change "… definitely not a girl"

Karin's reiatsu spiked in anger, but Aizen didn't notice due to his reiatsu sucking gigai and annoyance over the obvious fact that a human girl had the audacity to try … no … to give him orders. She was one hell of a lucky woman, because if it wasn't for the obnoxious gigai and Soul Society's spies, he would have snapped her neck in two a long time ago … But time wasn't a problem … sooner or later his powers will come back, and when they will …

'_I will kill the whole Kurosaki family and their friends, along with this annoying creature_' smirked Aizen at nobody in particular.

And he opened the door, exiting the room in a rush, leaving a dumbstruck Karin behind

…

"That's quite a god complex you have there Samaki"

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A/N: I do not own Bleach or Microsoft; believe me on this.

This is the necessary bonding period. I cannot make them fall in love instantly … they are far too complex and let's be serious: any couple involving Aizen is hard to write :d … and if you think Aizen is OOC, I apologize, but this is the way I see him after what happened


	4. Kurosaki Yuzu

**Every shadow has its twin**: First of all he has to fall in love with her ... but for now they are at each onther's throats

**Hakkuchi: **your previous question was finally answered in this chapter; now for the next one. I had my doubts regarding Aizen's surname, because just like you said, everyone calles him _Aizen_, not _Sōsuke_ (and who calls the villain by the first name, right?). So I searched on bleach wiki … I don't know exactly how, but the obvious conclusion was that Aizen's surname is Sōsuke (don't ask) … thank you for pointing out a mistake. I owe you one *wink*; now that I think, I owe you two *double wink*

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**To b****reak is all I know**

**Chapter ****4: Kurosaki Yuzu**

… _A look in__to the future …_

The heroine of this story, Kurosaki Karin, was sleeping peacefully in her comfy bed, babbling something unrecognizable. On the other side of the room, her sister was still awake, reading a magazine. She had given up the _girl talk_ a long time ago, when Karin told her that she's not interested in girl rubbish, so she should try the girly approach somewhere else.

It was an unbelievably hard truth, but since then, Yuzu hadn't tried anything like this with her sister. What was hard at first became a wonder … … Yet that was the beginning of their continuous break up, and looking back on the time they spend separately, Yuzu realized that their separation was coming to an end.

They became separate entities without sensing the change, and this saddened the girl. While Karin became a complex and powerful personality, Yuzu's character softened at such a degree that it was impossible to miss. Everyone told her that she'll get burned, that boys will break her heart, but she wasn't Karin, she wasn't powerful … she was just a child.

The irony in all this rubbish was that she was happy, in a healthy relationship with the man she loved, while Karin was the heart broken one.

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… _Back in present …_

Humming happily in the kitchen, with an apron tied tightly around her ample hips, Kurosaki Yuzu was preparing breakfast for the whole family. Karin was at the table talking (screaming) on the phone with one of her teammates and yelling something about "incompetent fool" and "go drown yourself in the river" … nothing new … while Ichigo was screaming obscenities at his father related to the fact that his _good mornings_ were getting too violent for his taste … nothing new here either.

"Breakfast is ready!" screamed the girl loud enough, so the two men upstairs could hear the yell even with all the noise done between them.

"Okay Yuzu-chan … we are coming!" answered on the same frequency Kurosaki Isshin.

A loud bang was heard, and Karin sweat dropped when the father came down carrying … no dragging Ichigo by the collar of his school uniform; he was struggling like a fish on the ground, and Yuzu giggled at the melancholic sight.

It was hard to be a Kurosaki, but she could manage just fine; even with a stupid father, a sarcastic sister and a delinquent brother. They were her family … her happy family; and nobody had the liberty to hurt them in any way … nobody. And if anyone dared to touch them, she will be there ready to attack right back.

'_I'm scary when angry_' thought Yuzu observing the interactions between Ichigo and Karin '_they are so close. I wish I was that close to Ichi-nii_'

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In the mean time, on the other side of Karakura, Aizen was looking in the mirror. He had to give up _his_ strand of hair, because it was a distinctive feature in his appearance, and any shinigami, from unseated officers to captains knew him by it.

Still his red hair wasn't so bad, and he thought that it suited him just fine; it changed his face completely, along with the new spiky hair style. Of course his younger body was a necessity as well, helping him squeeze in the school system without problems. Who would ever look for Aizen in a high school?

"Are you ready darling?" asked _his mother_ sweetly, stepping slightly in his tight room.

Her blue eyes roamed over his body like two thirsty hands looking for water. She looked pleased with his appearance, which wasn't a surprise for the villain. But what happened next came as a surprise.

The woman approached his figure like a feline, standing before him with eyes that mirrored lust and pure wanting. It was obvious that her lust was directed at his being, at his perfect body and nobody could deny it.

"You have one opened button" she said while her hands touched his abdomen going up, towards the rebel button.

'_She's seducing me … it's so pathetic_' thought the man, meditating on the level of depravedness this woman was willing to expose.

He chose this particular woman as his mother, for the authentic and unquestionable affection reflected in her eyes the moment he told her the imaginative story of his disrupted life. It was a lie of course, but still very touching and mushy … a true work of art.

However, to be _jumped_ after only three days of school, and one previous week of holiday, was unexpected. A nauseous sensation appeared in his gut and as a result his eyes softened deceiving the looked of their trueness.

"Sorry mom…. But I'm already late for school" the smooth voice calmed the woman a little bit, but she didn't let go, her fists clenched tightly in the collar of his shirt.

Aizen's hands shot upwards, stopping the woman from going any farther; she was already too close, and the annoying sensation of nausea was rolling in his stomach like a volley ball. Also his soft brown eyes were begging for fake forgiveness. The villain looked genuinely sorry for his interruption … like an innocent child imploring desperately for something.

"Okay" said the woman, letting go gradually, until her hands were finally detached from his shirt.

Like a storm, Aizen rushed past her, reaching the door and mumbling a short goodbye. In two seconds he was out, on his way to school. Back, in the room he just left, the mother said smiling at the closing door:

"He's too innocent" she sighted "maybe I'll try some other time …"

Unknown to her, Aizen's thoughts were not so innocent, and he wasn't even coming close to the term of innocence. Was the devil ever innocent?

At the same time, the villain was thinking darkly about what happened in the room; he was also making diabolic plans for the future '_I will fuck her some other time …Now I have a private lesson to attend_'

The woman was so wrong about him … her ideas about his personality were way too far from the actual truth; and the situation was so ironic … because Aizen chose to go to a boring lecture about computer science over a roll in the hay with her.

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On the school's grounds, more precisely in the school's yard, a beautiful woman with long, wavy chestnut hair was tumbling from side to side, seeking for something she previously dropped. Her freaked out face gave up the fact that whatever she dropped on the sandy soil was of great importance.

This is how Aizen Samaki found the woman when his silent walk from home came to an end. She was frenetically digging in the ground for the said object, throwing sand everywhere. A cloud of dust was beginning to form around her body.

"Can I help you?" asked politely the man, his eyes sparkling with fake goodness.

The woman stared for a long time at him, not believing her eyes or her ears. She was startled by the sudden gesture of kindness, and like any other instinctual being, she doubted his reasons; Jinta was giving her free candies because he liked her, a.k.a. wanted to get in her pants, but that was a long time ago. However, with all her doubts, the girl answered, not wanting to be impolite with the visitor.

"No … thank you very much"

The man didn't give up; he even knelled besides her, smiling with a softness the instantly melted all the uneasiness previously felt. And when he asked with the same smooth seductive voice "What have you lost?" Yuzu lost all good sense in the dirt underneath her feet.

She stuttered something about an earring, and they proceeded in searching the object side by side.

After 10 minutes of awkward silence and undercover glances, they found the ear gear near the gate, and Yuzu cursed her incompetence for the eleventh time that morning.

"Don't worry. It happens" reassured her Aizen.

"I'm such a klutz" cried Yuzu, cleaning a tear that threatened to drop on her cheek "It happens every time. Sorry to have bothered you mister …"

He smiled sweetly, the brown eyes mirroring happiness. It wasn't the kind of happiness Yuzu expected, because while she was thinking how such a smile could exist, he was thinking how lucky his day was; another innocent girl to manipulate in his master plan, another easy target like Hinamori.

But the bomb has yet to come …

"Aizen Samaki" his right hand reached forward waiting for the girl to shake it, along with her name … another name on his long list of victims.

But … the answer wasn't the one he had expected, its force hitting him in the gut like a long and sharp knife.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Aizen-san. I'm Yuzu … Kurosaki Yuzu" and she shook his hand softly but firmly.

For two seconds the mask crumbled to the ground under the pressure of this new information. His face couldn't be describe, because it enclosed too many expressions, some of them in total disagreement with each other; antithetic emotions passed on his face without censor confusing the viewing girl. She tried to say something, but Aizen was faster in asking the question that bugged him like an ever lasting itch.

"Do you have any connection with Kurosaki Ichigo?" his mask of kindness being reinstalled, along with an innocent smile full of hope and goodness.

A part of Aizen hoped that she had no connection with _that_ Kurosaki family, while another part begged for a sibling or cousin-like relationship between this girl and Ichigo. If the last one was correct, the villain just found the perfect doll for his plan; all he was left to do was to attach the strings, and the master puppeteer was ready to give a representation for the willing crowd.

Yuzu understood the previous confusion and smiled sweetly at the man, her face lighting up like a Christmas tree; she even giggled softly, as her answer confirmed the second hypothesis.

"Yes … he is my big brother" the brown eyes sparkled, while her mind was searching for a good excuse "I know everyone says he's a delinquent, but I know it's not true" the cute saddening face was another resemblance Yuzu had with Hinamor "Sorry … if he did something to you"

Yuzu stepped back, fearing a burst of anger from Aizen, but luckily it didn't come. Still she was unable to penetrate the mask that covered his expression, hiding at the same time the body language. She just heard his peaceful response, not guessing the actual thoughts behind it.

"Don't worry. He did nothing to me … I just heard his name a couple of days ago, and I was wandering if you had any connection with him … since you carry the _Kurosaki_ surname."

'_Yes … Don't worry … He did nothing, apart from sending me in a stinky, awful prison for 5 years_' the antithetic thoughts aroused in the villains mind '_But I will get my revenge and you little, fragile, beautiful doll are my ticket. I'll make you curse the Kurosaki name_'

"Oh … I understand. Then I have nothing to worry about." She couldn't guess the dark thoughts that passed through her interlocutor's mind.

Aizen was sure that he just hit the jackpot. Then he remembered his computer science lesson and suddenly every single drop of happiness (or Aizen's equivalent) got down the drain in an instant.

"Something wrong, Aizen-san?" asked Yuzu.

"No …" smiled Aizen innocently "I have computer science private lessons, and I can't say I'm eager to go." For the first time in that cursed day, the villain spoke the truth about something.

The girl giggled at his frightened expression and vaguely remembered Karin's complain about a computer retard named Samaki, along with the fact that he was the annoying (talented) new gatekeeper. This information clicked in her mind and linked with the new one resulting in the next statement.

"Karin-chan told me about you"

"Karin?" was the villains reply … confusion could be easily read on his soft face.

"Sorry …" she said, clearing her throat in a dramatic way, like acting "Your captain"

With a smile that never left his face, the villain processed the received information, realizing that the Kurosaki girl was talking about the bitch; so … they were friends … strange enough coming from two opposite personalities.

"Oh … you mean her"

Aizen almost snickered at Yuzu's expression, but stopped in time; this act was getting to his serious personality. It was still unclear what his _current_ face was, because he was playing so many roles, so many characters that mistaking one for another became frequent.

Now… the first question was how to use her as the main puppet. There were different methods, but the one Aizen had in mind was more fun for him (and for her at another level). Seducing a victim with undeniable charm, without being perverted or lout was a magnificent art, but like a second nature for the talented gatekeeper. Yuzu will fall easily, just like Hinamori dropped in his net.

"So … Kurosaki-san" the name brought a bitter taste in his mouth, but for the sake of his plan, he had to endure it "I know it's sudden, but …" his face reddened "Do you have any plans for tomorrow … after school"

His acting came at such a high level that he was able to make his body react in a certain/wanted way; like reddening at command. It came in handy, especially now with the most important pawn.

On the other hand, Yuzu wasn't in need of any previous training in body reaction, because her face took the dark shade of red as natural as possible. She tried to stutter a no, which turned into a yes, but Aizen's begging face amplified by big brown puppy dog eyes definitely changed her decision. She said with her sweet voice that she wasn't busy tomorrow after school.

Aizen was wondering where this entire lax attitude came from. Her father and her brother were as hotheaded as the 11-th squad's captain … maybe the mother was to blame…

"What's going on here!" a familiar voice interjected behind them, with a force that startled the poor creature he was trying to study. Aizen could only sigh, as he turned around facing the girl of his demise.

"Captain … What a pleasure …"

Karin was looking overly pissed off, but at least her expression was one of anger, and not one of pure dumbness. That was one of the many reasons why Aizen loved so much to exceedingly annoy the hell out of her.

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With the schoolbag hanged over one shoulder in a strange position, and with a face that said '_stay away or you'll regret_ _ever stepping into this world_', Karin walked down the street towards the prison called school. For the first time in ages, Yuzu was not at her side, the pleasant company being strongly missed by the tomboy. Still she wasn't missing the unidentified looks they received when walking to school.

It was a beautiful day, but the perspective of another impossible lesson with Samaki wasn't pleasurable at all. As a matter of fact she was praying to God for a miracle that included either skipping the lesson, either being hit by a bus … of course Aizen was the protagonist of this story. She could see the titles "Aizen Samaki … the boy who didn't live". Life wasn't fair, and Karin instinctively knew that Aizen will be at school, annoying the hell out of her only with his mere presence. To think how badly the situation will become once his big, sarcastic mouth opens was one of those things Karin wasn't eager to think of.

In the distance, the girl saw the school's yard, and two students talking; judging by the high alone, they were a boy and a girl. Her mind flew away, thinking about Yuzu and her strange relationship with Jinta, also her strange relationship with Toshiro...

Karin vehemently shook the backpack in order to stop the walk down the memory lane. Toshiro was a friend from Soul Society that didn't give any sign for 4 years … _was_ … he _was_ a friend. Still a part of her knew that when trouble will come on Soul Society's shoulders, sooner or later they will call Ichigo … and usually the ones that did the job were: Rukia, Renji or Toshiro. Even with this certainty, Karin wasn't sure that seeing Toshiro will solve the problem, because … she will not be able to get over the fact that he left. Moving on was the only solution she could accept.

Little did the girl know … because the decision of moving on will be the worst she ever made … …

Karin's walk (and revelation) came to an end, when she was finally able to see the two figures in the yard. For two seconds she was stunned, resembling a marble statue … the white face wasn't helping in this comparison. Then she saw Yuzu's expression, and Aizen's obviously fake smile and rage took over.

Like an unreleased storm, with thunders and flashy bolts, Karin marched towards them, shaking the ground with loud steps; her fierce temper was getting to her again, and for the first time she was unable to tell the reason. When Yuzu was involved with a boy, she was acting clam, but deadly, and it usually concluded with the boy being scared for life, or unable to walk straight due to a well placed kick … but this time was different, and she couldn't tell why …

When she was behind the couple, her ears caught the last fraction of a sentence told by a totally red Yuzu… "… tomorrow after school". It wasn't the perfect sentence for a twin sister to hear.

"What's going on here!" snarled Karin, her eyes going from one to another asking for a good explanation.

"Captain … What a pleasure …"

Karin's hand tightened in a fist when hearing Aizen's mocking tone. Her anger spiked along with the vast mass of reiatsu she possessed, but he didn't notice being too busy with other things, like leering at Yuzu.

"Fuck off Samaki"

"Don't be like this with Aizen-san" came Yuzu's accusing tone.

Moreover, like a hurt puppy, Aizen was watching her with his big, soft, mushy brown attractive eyes, and for a tiny second, she was this close to apologize for something she didn't do; those eyes should be forbidden. But the girl had the decency to stop in time and plan an ironic counterattack.

"Aizen-san?" she asked astonished at the improper honorific "Okay … I give up …"

"Karin-chan …?" Yuzu said, the confused tone being triggered by her sister's confession. To hear the term "give up" from the well known Kurosaki was strange, rare, unusual and … damn near impossible.

The next topic confused the girl even more, because Karin looked serious while speaking …

"If I could have the pleasure of Aizen-san's company in the computer science laboratory, I would be deeply grateful my dear Yuzu"

A snicker escaped the twin's mouth, but it wasn't because of the freshly discovered sarcasm, but because she had no idea why Karin was so formal towards her and Samaki. Not bothering to ask any question, Yuzu concluded

"That's better"

Aizen and Karin sweat dropped simultaneously, stealing glances at each other. They both knew that Yuzu was too naïve for her own good, and the villain was the one able to use it …

"So … it's settled?" asked the man, ignoring Karin's arising anger; of course that with the corner of the eye, he was enjoying the upset expression that was lingering on the tomboy's face.

"Yes Aizen-san" answered the brown haired woman.

"Perfect"

After that she left the yard, waving friendly at both of them.

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"You really are full of shit, Samaki"

"Really …?" asked the man.

They were walking side by side, both wearing bored expressions on their faces. The corridor was dark and an atmosphere of danger was lingering in the air.

"But a good actor" continued Karin as she opened the lab's door.

"Thank you"

He wasn't in the mood for long phrases, so he settled for short answers plus a creepy smirk.

"Let's go … I'll teach you how to use Microsoft Word"

While entering the small room, stuffed with metallic objects, Aizen's mind decided on the following course of action. It was impossible to use Karin like the Kurosaki bitch or his mother because of the way she was constructed … her personality was liquid fire, impossible to tame, yet interesting to watch. He will watch her for now … but she was useless in his plan, and useless things were garbage that deserved to be extinguished.

"Stop with that face Aizen. You're scaring the computers and they won't open"

Aizen smiled dangerously, warning of a diabolic mind … warning for those willing to listen … "Are the computers the ones scared, Karin?"

She turned 180 degrees, facing him completely; their closeness came as a surprise, but she was able to stand her ground. A shiver crossed her spine, when she realized how close he must have been standing behind her … it must have been pretty close since turning around practically affixed their bodies.

Because her high was average, while his was beyond tallness, Karin was forced to raise her head, in order to capture his glance; she immediately regretted the decision of meeting his eyes, because what she saw there was indescribable … even barely ajar, the density behind his eyelids was squashing her like a bug. With all this physiological pressure, Karin forgot to breath, only to remember a moment later.

"Of course they are scared. What normal person won't be?"

His mere presence was intoxicating, but she was able to stand her own. Her name wasn't Kurosaki Karin for nothing.

Aizen smiled slyly at her question. Indeed he have been asking himself the same thing for a long, long time, and apart from her and Kurosaki Ichigo, nobody ever shown so much self control in order to stop the intuitive fear from arising. It was an accomplishment on her part, but still not enough, because without the reiatsu inhibitor, the threat was obviously smaller. He answered the question partially, leaving the Kurosaki Ichigo part for another time.

"You"

"Thank you … " Karin said while stepping back, recreating the personal space she needed so much "You just said I'm not normal"

"Obviously" stated proudly Aizen, glancing attentively at her.

"I told you about your god complex, right?"

"Likewise"

His elegant vocabulary and stance were getting to Karin, so she tried a counterattack

"You're an asshole"

Aizen smirked, taking a seat at one of the closest computers "Likewise … Karin"

"Why do I bother? Let's just begin the lesson. First of all …"

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Sorry for the lamest chapter in history …

Thank you for the amazing reviews (thanks again Hakkuchi for the best nose in sniffing mistakes *giggling*) and please when you see a spelling or grammar mistake do tell me (I found a couple of them in my last chapters, but I know there are even more)

This date with Yuzu is very important for the story's future, and for Aizen's :d … and yes … Karin begins to experience jealousy.

I'm curious about something: How many of you "practice" in real life something close to the subject of languages, philology or literature… If you have the time you can just PM me with a yes or no. I don't need a composition … I just want to make a statistic :)


	5. Microsoft Word Part 1

I do not own Bleach … Microsoft isn't mine either :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

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**To b****reak is all I know**

**Chapter ****5: Microsoft Word Part 1**

"Microsoft Office Word is a commercial word processor. Anyone with basic computer knowledge has to know how to use this program … without exception"

Aizen felt that the last part was dedicated entirely to him and his lack of knowledge … the basic one, which is definitely worse. He sent a hateful glare at Karin, which continued undisturbed by the gesture.

"Normally I would begin with a history lesson about the constant progressing of Microsoft software …" he sighed loudly, earning a glare from the girl "But you are an incapable …" she moved her hands in an indescribable pattern "I would say ostrich, but I do not want to offend the poor creature"

… This woman will be his death, literally …

"And of course I could say pig, but he's pink and dirty, and even if you are not dirty, I cannot say the same thing about …"

"STOP!"

Aizen snapped, not caring that anyone could enter the room and see him in this posture of a bad guy, or they could hear him through the door; both of them probable and easy to accomplish.

"You've got one hell of a temper, Samaki" said calmly Karin, sitting on the chair and watching him with amused eyes. This and the smirk that threatened to appear on the girl's face pushed Aizen in a discussion not easy to win.

"I have a temper!" his clenched jaw didn't impress the Kurosaki raven twin in a good way, giving her even more motives to annoy every cell of his body … and strangely she was succeeding.

After the great accomplishment of seducing Ichigo's sister, an important, but simple task, Aizen was experiencing a new level of happiness, which was being gradually destroyed by Karin's constant bickering; she was getting on his nerves and for an unknown reason, he was letting her.

The villain's attention was immediately attracted back to the discussion. Karin finally answered, winning the argument and metaphorically knocking him out.

"Of course … you, me and other 6 billion people"

"You didn't mean it like that …" Aizen clenched the chair's handle, squeezing the plastic in his strong hands "And don't put an equal sign between me and 6 billion average humans" he smiled dangerously, his face acquiring a strange attractiveness.

"God complex" explained Karin "You" she said pointing at his face "Aizen Samakai have a bbbiiiggg god complex"

It was unusual for a normal human to not deny such an affront, but Aizen wasn't a human, and normal wasn't one of his many characteristics either. His eyes were almost closed, but between rich eyelashes the brownish color warned of a malefic intent. Karin ignored the sensation of uneasiness those eyes were spreading in her blood system, collecting her attention on the lesson.

"Next topic is … Word" said the girl smiling at the computer.

This affectionate gesture directed at the metal object, made Aizen realize how much she liked the object … it was strange to say she liked the object … subject was a better word, but the villain was going to exploit the object-human relationship, because it was easier to make fun of. So he smiled innocently, hiding an ulterior motive behind it.

"It's my belief that only this thing will ever reciprocate your feelings … too bad you cannot marry it, because I doubt any sane man would"

The sadness that spread over Karin's face was like sweet hot chocolate for the villain, and he fought with a smirk that threatened to appear on the surface. On the other hand Karin was trying to clear her eyes of any remaining emotion, but even so the unpleasant feeling of anger and grief weren't planning to go anywhere. Still … she won't give him the satisfaction of sowing tears, so she straightened up and continued with a firm tone.

"This is how you open Word … you press the Star button, then choose Programs" she pressed the said button, and when the menu opened, the cursor moved over the item called Programs "Another submenu will open, and here you chose Microsoft Office" she followed the steps literally, her eyes never leaving the screen "And here you have a list of programs … for now you will choose Microsoft Office Word" she pressed the word, and waited for the program to open.

She was inclined to turn around, but only the thought of seeing him again, with his snotty attitude and smug face, made her cringe in disgust. It was a well known fact that Karin wasn't a beautiful or feminine girl and her chances of finding a decent man were practically zero, but to be told bluntly by the one she despised the most, that the only companion she would ever find was the computer … destroyed her. It was a metaphorical destruction and Karin knew that she'll get over it in a matter of minutes, but it still hurt like hell.

Getting over her moment of depression, Karin was pleased to hear her unaltered voice. With a strong and firm tone she said some unimportant things about the Toolbar and its multitude of buttons, explaining in a detailed way every single one of them, from the save button to the Equation Editor.

After the long lecture, the girl was about to begin another one concerning tables, adding rows and other nothings, when her eyes fell on the red headed retard …

"Aizen …" her tone wasn't foretelling anything good "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. This unfortunate event happened, because he was ignoring her … well he wasn't really ignoring her, at least not intentionally.

"I asked WhaT ArE YOU DOING?" screamed the girl, wearing a feral expression, the slavers missing from the already resentful scene.

This time Aizen heard her screeching voice, turning around, in order to face the unleashed beast. He seemed unimpressed by her anger, even if he knew how irritated she must be. Who wouldn't if during half an hour long speech about Word's toolbar, the one you're trying so hard to teach would find better interest in looking outside, through the window? Guess that treating her with the back wasn't such a good idea.

"What?" his brown sleepy eyes got her dander up in an instant ... their roles were reversed this round: she was annoyed and he was the annoyer.

"Are you deaf?" asked ironically Karin

He was calmer and ready to make fun … it was his turn to mock the raven head.

"Are you smart?" answered sardonically Aizen

Karin opened her mouth in a last attempt to find a comeback, but she was unable to. Even if every cell of her body was screaming to attack the one that dared to mock her with such an intense force, she was standing still, staring wide eyed at his smug expression. Her feelings were going in overdrive, because she couldn't understand how was someone able to make her feel so many emotions in a matter of minutes: from amazement to anger, from awkwardness to understanding and from disgust to pure annoyingness.

"Please do tell me _Samaki-sama_" every inch of sarcasm was poured in the unusual honorific "Do you plan to listen and learn every single thing I say in the future?"

Karin wasn't a dreamer, so the answer she expected was a negative one, but Aizen's response came as a surprise … not because he said yes, but because of the way he said no.

"Treating you with my royal ass is way better"

This was the breaking point for Kurosaki Karin, so as any good citizen that was subjected to way too much pressure … she let loose a shock of vexation.

"I had enough" she snapped "You are an insufferable bastard that deserves to burn in hell." Karin continued, while preparing to leave "And I should also add something about your superiority complex, but it would be redundant, because I told you 100 times about it" a loud snap was heard from the table where Karin was gathering her computer science books "And over all these flaws …" she violently closed the backpack's zipper, throwing all her raging nerves on the piece of cloth "You are so stupid, that even to concentrate is hard for your tiny brain!" Karin finished the preparations and when she was at the door, she changed her mind, turning around, facing an amused Aizen.

"And you know what's worse … I really thought you were of some worth … guess I was wrong"

These were the last words she said before slamming the door behind her rushing figure. All the amusement Aizen previously shown, melted on his face, leaving behind a blank stare. For an unknown reason the disappointment he saw in Karin's dark eyes was excruciatingly painful. She made fun, she mocked, she was sarcastic and overly annoying, but disappointed … never. The fact that she looked serious when she said those awful words … was making everything worse.

'_I'm not here to please anyone or, to accomplish someone's expectations_' thought Aizen, believing his words for two seconds, only to realize that it was just a delusion on his part '_I'm here to please everyone; to create a perfect image of myself_ _and then … to strike when they think they are safe_'

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With a killer's face, Karin marched through the school's corridors, bumping in the personnel and sometimes in inattentive high scholars. They weren't pleased by this, but couldn't do a thing, because Karin would disappear behind a corner too fast for them to realize where she went. A tornado was unleashing its brutal and unmerciful power, destroying shoulders and giving ugly bruises.

The girl continued this destructive march until she saw someone waving happily at her. The temptation of ignoring the pest was great, but unluckily for her, the guy was in her path. Another idea came in her mind, consisting in going through him, like a bulldozer. Putting the plan in motion, she approached the person at a high speed, only to stop nose in nose with him.

"JINTA!" she yelled at the smirking red head "What are you doing here! You don't attend Karakura High School"

Hanakari Jinta grinned proudly at the Kurosaki twin, even if he couldn't forget the rivalry over the Karakura Red place.

"I was helping Afro with an important job" Jinta inhaled, swelling his chest like a turkey; the girl had a moment of doubt regarding the animal he resembled with but decided that turkey was the best choice.

"Oh mighty Jinta, the king of Karakura, what was the important job Urahara gave you?" mockingly asked Karin, already knowing the answer.

The boy straightened his back, cracking a few bones in the process, and answered seriously, like he always did when being in an official mission.

"He told me to give you this" and he reached forward, giving her a bag of supplies; it was hanged by his hand in an unusual position, threatening to spill over its content. Being able to see different objects, she eyed a pink stick that pierced the bag in a strange angle.

"And what's that?" she pointed at the stick

"You can do a Soul Burial, a konso with it" he explained, handing the bag to her, even if her reluctance in touching anything colored that bright and girlish was obvious.

"I thought only shinigamis are able to make a konso with that special sword …"

"Don't ask me … It's one of Urahara's great inventions, but I guess it's possible since you have shingami blood running through your veins …" explained Jinta, nudging her in the ribs with the stick in a failed attempt of annoyingness.

"Oh … hip, hip, hurray" cheered Karin silently, raising the right hand over her head in an act of fake happiness, pushing the foreign object carefully handled by the boy, back in its right place.

"It's good stuff. Believe me. That four eyed freak, Ishida, paid heavy cash for a stick like that"

"But … it … is … pink" stated the girl, watching Jinta's expression change from boredom to anger. It was incredibly easy to annoy the young man, and by delaying his mission, she was achieving the max level of anger possible at Jinta.

However the boy wasn't pleased with the predicament he experienced yet again. It happened every time he interacted with the Kurosaki tomboy, and today he had big plans, which he intended to respect. So the girl had to behave, take the bag and leave him alone.

"Take the bag … I have other things to do"

"Like stalking my sister" guessed Karin.

"I do not stalk your sister" blushed Jinta, fearing that the girl will realize how right her guess really was; but then again, she probably knew before he sat foot on the school's grounds.

"True … you're harassing her" stated Karin, talking the bag from his shaky hand "Are you shaking Jinta?"

Jinta reddened even harder and tried to stop the periphery from the uncontrollable shake, failing miserably. The last time he confessed his undying love and inhuman attraction he felt towards Yuzu, he was rewarded with a reiatsu infused kick in the groin from the overprotective twin, so he was not intending to repeat the experience ever again.

Karin must have guessed his thoughts, because she smirked evilly, which wasn't a good sign, and ushered him closer till they were an inch apart. Some students, that knew her as an antisocial tomboy, were watching the scene in total awe not believing that someone was able to stand so close to her, without being hit, hurt or something along this line.

"I will let you off the hook, if you give me an advice" mumbled Karin as soft as possible, not wanting to attract unwanted attention on their muttered discussion.

"Advice?" asked loudly the boy, but Karin slapped him over the head, shushing him. He rubbed the hurting spot, cursing her and the bruise that will hurt like hell for a couple of days "You need to learn how to use that big reiatsu of yours, because you clearly don't know how to control it"

"I said shush!" screeched Karin, raising her right hand in a silent threaten of an unmerciful beating.

Jinta swallowed a huge gulp of air, coughing immediately after, because he chocked on it. His burst of unstoppable cough came to an end, only when Karin shook him from roots and slapped him forcefully across the back.

"Listen" she continued after Jinta seemed slightly better (not white like a statue) and his ability to breathe was functional again "I'm trying to explain to a total imbecile how to use the computer … and all the methods I've tried aren't working"

The boy's sudden burst of nosy laughter echoed through the empty halls, his hoarseness creating an interesting sound effect. He was trying to stop the fit of laughter by blocking it with his right hand, while the other was resting on the stomach.

"Okay … I know it's funny, but take a break" commanded Karin, her tone mirroring killer intents if the boy was inclined to disregard her order "That's better" she continued immediately after the boy stopped the annoying sound "And take some pills … I bet your throat is sore"

When he heard Karin's statement, Jinta cringed "I had a little cold …"

Karin sighed, but aborted the subject of Jinta's health, and came back to the topic of computers; the teachers were always so good at explaining things, but of course they had the pedagogic module and experience, while she had an abusing father …

"Look" said seriously Jinta, while glaring at her "To attract a guy's attention …" Karin crooked her nose "You have to show him the usefulness … you have to show him the object, in this case the computer, in a light that would advantage him. Make from Excel something that would interest him …"

By a miracle, Karin's apprehension towards the subject of _teach Samaki how to use the computer_ didn't raise, however it couldn't be said the same thing about her annoyance over Jinta's stupid explanation. He clearly despised theory, yet he was preaching the same theory to her. With a bored face, the raven twin asked, knowing the answer, but not wanting to tire her mouth over nothing.

"One last question … Who chose the color of this … stick?"

"Can't you guess …?"

"Ururu"

The red head nodded. His eyes were pointing subconsciously at the door, asking for permission to leave. Karin rolled her eyes, and finally let him go, with a flick of her wrist. He mumbled something, but from fear, he withhold a swear that was lingering on his tongue, threatening to spill out.

The school's guardian, a big, ugly and nosy police officer, saw the intruder and as any good guardian, he screamed at the top of his lungs some well aimed GTFOs.

"YOU!" roared the guardian "You're trespassing the school's grounds!"

"He's molesting me!" screamed Karin like burned, waving her hands at the police officer in a desperate gesture of help.

The man obviously believed her (who wouldn't) and dashed like a madman at the poor boy, with a concentrated face, that suggested nothing good. In the mean time, Jinta was trying to shake the policeman off his tail, and succeeded when a truck stopped at the gate, blocking his tracker.

Having one of the finest hearings in Karakura, Karin was able to distinguish an "I'm gonna kill you Kurosaki!" over the driver's swears and the guardian's yell of anger; the voice coincidently resembled Jinta's.

Without a care in the world, the girl left for her first hour … math.

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Entering through the front door, Karin was welcomed by a kick aimed at her face. However the act wasn't surprising, the girl being prepared for this infantile behavior her father was acquiring every time she or Ichigo was coming home. It was obvious why his comportment towards Yuzu was different from her and her older sibling, but at times like this her jealousy over the other twin was arising above the surface, talking magnitude.

She even dodged the leg with easiness, thinking about Yuzu and the preaching she had prepared for the hazelnut twin. The annoying creature came at her again, like a boar in heat, but Karin stepped aside with grace, while her father crashed in the fridge due to the force of inertia.

"Father …" apostrophized Yuzu "We replaced the fridge last week … and you destroyed it again"

Isshin detached his head from the top shelf, along with a greasy sausage wrapped tightly around his neck, the view humoring Karin like nothing else. The hazy fog that covered his eyes, told in a subtle way, that he was still in the daze provoked by the violent hit.

"I'm fine … Don't worry I'm fine. Thank you for asking, my little princess" said the man, stumbling from one leg to the other, with the piece of meat still hanging from his throat, dangling when hitting an aluminum button.

"I haven't asked you anything papa" stated seriously Yuzu, not realizing that maybe her father was being ironic; luckily for her, the older Kurosaki was just as bad when it came to sarcasm, irony or anything that described a sardonic intent.

"Really?" exclaimed Isshin, genuinely surprised.

"Sorry … but I was being preoccupied with the fridge and I forg …" began the silent twin, without being able to finish, because a big body enveloped hers in a suffocating hug.

"My little, beautiful, princess" cried the loving father, embracing Yuzu with passion and dedication "I understand my dear …" he tightened the hold, chocking the girl "You have so many things on your mind … being a cook, a housemaid and a high scholar isn't easy" he finally released her from the unwanted hold "And you have so many suitors … I cannot choose one of them to be my son … It's too hard …" he cried melodramatically, faking a faint.

Hearing her father's rant, Karin suddenly remembered the conversation between Aizen and Yuzu she eavesdropped that morning. Not being too happy with the snipped she heard and not being sure if what she had in mind was the real solution, the girl was ready to inquire her sister over the problem that was bugging her. A part of Karin was sure that Samaki asked her twin on a date and that her twin accepted, and the other part was still seeking an explanation.

"Yuzu" called Karin, her grim face alerting the twin of a serious matter that needed to be discussed "Can we talk … upstairs" her dark eyes traveled towards her father, adding reticently "without any spies"

"You are being ungrateful, my little cactus, with me … your beautiful, young, dynamic, gorgeous…" began the father another dramatic act, when a voice from the door announced.

"I'm home … what do …"

BANG!

"Welcome home my son!" yelled the flying father, as his feet dug in the inattentive teenager's face, sending him back in the wall "HAHAHA! You lost your touch Ichigo. University doesn't suite you!"

"Let's go Yuzu" whispered Karin in her sister's ear, as she was watching the fight between father and son with indifference, their bonding time being necessary every single day. The raven tomboy had to drag the girl upstairs and only when the dorm's door closed behind them, Karin sighed loudly, throwing herself on her unmade bad.

"What did you want to discuss, Karin-chan" her innocent face betraying the uneasiness she felt inside; her right hand was playing with the other's fingers, in a last attempt of stopping the erratic emotions she felt inside.

"Jinta cam today to give me something from Urahara" stated calmly Karin, like nothing happened

"Really?" mumbled the girl, thinking that if Jinta was the problem they were going to discuss here, she was off the hook.

But when Karin continued with a rhetorical question, Yuzu instinctively knew that the Jinta-information was just an innuendo, and that the true motive behind the girl talk was uglier, and one she wasn't eager to find.

"So … do you have plans tomorrow after school?" explored Karin the possibility of a date with Samaki. Her scouting eyes were searching for any sign of hesitationin the twin's eyes.

"I will be … kind of busy tomorrow after school" a stripe of red covered Yuzu's cheekbones, going down the cheek, coloring the entire face in a bright shade of red.

"… busy going on a date with him?" growled Karin, her eyes mirroring a verity of emotions, two of the predominate ones being disgust and fear.

Yuzu rose her head, glaring at her twin. The expression painted on her face wasn't the usual one of kindness and innocent love for everything … this time, she was showing anger, pure anger, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

"That was the issue? My date with Aizen-san isn't your problem Karin!"

Karin cringed from the forceful verbal attack and realized that her sister forgot the '_chan_' for her name. She had never forgotten the chan … never until that day.

"Please Yuzu … just listen" and she continued only after Yuzu nodded, avoiding any eye contact "Samaki isn't … normal … he's a creep"

Yuzu sniffed, attacking Karin again with unmerciful words "He can't be creepier than you … I'm sure of that"

The girl clenched her jaw, trying to stop some awful swears from coming out, damaging the already fragile relationship she had with her twin sister. Finally she commanded, her attention begin on Yuzu and Yuzu alone.

"Yuzu … I don't care that you see that bastard as the fucking savior of the world" the other girl tried to comment, but Karin didn't let her, shushing her with a pointed glare "He is dangerous and bad … and you ain't going anywhere with him … especially on a date"

"If you won't let me … I'll go to dad" mumbled Yuzu, showing signs of fatigue and nausea; fights with any member of her family did that to her already poor health and week psychic.

"And he'll tell you to go fuck him so he could have some fucking nephews" her anger rose above the surface, showing to Yuzu her worst language.

At high levels of annoyance, the raven head was acting like an unleashed volcano, and at that moment she was presenting a full variety of unwanted swears her sister wasn't very found of.

"Stop it Karin …" begged Yuzu, but she didn't listen.

"No … You need to hear from someone that this guy is very bad. I can see it in his eyes … he's merciless, and I don't want you anywhere near him" gestured wildly Karin, knocking the lamp from the post it was fixed in. The object rolled on the carpet, being ignored by the engaged twins, even if its light wasn't blessing the room with shiny rays.

"If he's so dangerous, why did you let him in your team, why did you accept to teach him computer science? … Why?"

Yuzu found a week spot in her sister's story and abused it at maximum, not realizing that for the first question, Karin had an appropriate answer.

"Those mother fuckers from the school's committee stuffed him in our team and I couldn't decline their offer … my position as the soccer team's captain was on the line"

"And the computer lessons?" insisted Yuzu with vehemence, this style o talking and acting being unusual for the always caring twin.

For the first time, Karin was speechless. This was a question she didn't have an answer for, because nobody bothered to ask it before. It was a simple situation: a boy needed help and she was able to give this helping hand, so she did. It had a simple beginning, yet when did all this mess take unrequited amplitude, destroying her relationship with Yuzu?

And to confess that one of the reasons she accepted to teach him about the boring subject of computer science was his alluring personality and unique character became impossible the moment he asked her twin sister on a date. She found him interesting … it was a plausible explanation, but at the same time, one she couldn't accept either.

When these thoughts passed through her erratic conscious, the Kurosaki realized that her feelings towards Samaki weren't platonic … and this scared the shit out of her.

"I don't know … mercy I guess … But you're not going with …" tried Karin, as a last resort to ignore the conclusion her mind came up with.

She couldn't like that ass. He practically told her, between the lines, about her inability to catch a man's attention and that she would be lucky if a computer liked her. Her heart was screwing with her again … At least he wasn't giving her false hopes, like Toshiro once did.

"Yes I am"

"No, you're not" the tone being merciless

"Yes …" one tear rolled on the rosy cheek, being followed by a river of them a moment later.

The pressure that enveloped the room slowly dispersed its wings, being replaced by calmness.

Yuzu found the hidden strength to command, or something that wanted to be a command, sounding more like a silent cry of pain "Don't lurk in my life … and get out"

Every painful sound, created in that room by Yuzu, broke her heart in a million pieces … and since Karin knew to be the source of this suffering, her every single cell was screaming in a last attempt of comfort. She heard a concealed hiccup and another bursting cry, but preferred the banging door hitting the frame behind her rushing figure.

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Soft steps echoed on the tiles, reaching a closed door. The person on the other side seemed to hesitate for a second, only to dash in the silent room a moment later.

"Ichigo?" asked Karin, looking at the teenager lounged comfortably on the bed.

The said boy rose from the bed, wearing a bored expression, but when he saw his sister's distressed face, his expression changed in a concerned one. He immediately asked with care and kindness.

"What happened?"

"I had a fight with Yuzu … and she cried, because of me" stated calmly Karin, trying to stop her own tears from falling … her dark blue eyes were glistening like two bright stars, so Ichigo invited her on his bed with a rushed hand sign.

"Come here Karin"

Karin approached the bed, and when she was finally sitting on it in a rigid position, Ichigo hugged her in a rare sign of lovingness. He cushioned her in his bed, carefully tucking her in it, deciding to join her later, after he switched the lights off.

It became a habit … when Yuzu was upset she was going to Isshin, who was comforting her with sweet words and soft caresses. While Karin chose her older brother as a source of comfort … he was more like her, able to realize that actions speak louder than words.

The girl drifted in a peaceful slumber, dreaming of a world where stupid retarded Samakis didn't ask her sister on a date complicating the already complex situation.

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Thanks for the vast amount reviews … all of you

Again I have to apologize for a lame chappi …. Lame but necessary … I had some troubles writing this one, but strangely her discussion with Jinta and with Yuzu had gone smoother than expected.

The next update will probably be postponed, because I am in need of a little break from my computer (and I have to weed the garden … that's the real reason … sue my mother) :)) but I cannot wait to write the next chapter, because I have an evil plan + a similar discussion with Aizen … Muhahaha … Be warned.


	6. Microsoft Word Part 2

I do not own Bleach … Microsoft isn't mine either :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

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**To b****reak is all I know**

**Chapter ****6: Microsoft Word Part 2**

"_Today was the best day of my life._

_I had a soccer match with a local gang, their leader begin none other than … wait for it … Jinta. The brat had the audacity to challenge me, imagine that … me … the well known Kurosaki Karin … Muhaha. Don't worry dear diary, I beat him to a bloody pulp for daring such insolence._

_And over all this, at the end of the match I had not even a single, tiny scratch on me. That pest was so jealous … his face resembled a green lemon._

_But this is not important, because the best part was after the match, when Toshiro came and congratulated me. I was so proud that for the first time we won without his help, and he was just as happy … it was an accomplishment. Of course he couldn't show any emotions, being a big, bad shinigami and a captain, but I could see a glitter of joy in his pearl eyes._

_God help me, 'cause those eyes are divine …_"

(Kurosaki Karin's diary)

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After the storm that took place in the twin's room, an oppressive silence enveloped the Kurosaki household in a tight embrace. The milk man felt the unusual pressure the moment he stepped on the porch, but ignored it thinking it was only his imagination. His job was to deliver milk, so he did his job … but, strangely, when he left the house, a sigh of relief escaped his mouth.

When the clock struck 7, the shrill sound of the alarm of a clock echoed in Ichigo's room, hitting the walls and being reflected back at the bed. On the little piece of cloth, that should have represented a sheet, two figures were sound asleep. One of them trembled and moved closer to the other, maybe because of the alarm, while the other was clearly giving signs of walking up.

"Karin" said softly Ichigo, nudging the girl in the ribs "You have school" added the boy while his hands were searching for the clock that made all that insufferable noise; he swore when his search came to an end without a helpful result.

"Two more minutes Yuzu" mumbled Karin between a snore and something that should have been a yawn, but resembled a crocodile biting his pray.

Ichigo sighed and continued the malicious treatment on her ribs, which clearly aggravated the situation. He did it with the purpose of waking her up, but to see his little sister annoyed was a bonus he wasn't expecting.

"Cut it off .." babbled the girl, firing another loud snore after the command "I wanna sleep" and Ichigo was blessed with a delightfully intense snort " … motherfucker" and appreciation for his concern over his sister's education.

"Come on, Karin …" this time he rose from the bed and shook her violently "Wake up! In any moment Yuzu will scream that food is ready"

The girl mumbled a silent "fuck you" in response.

Not knowing where Ichigo was standing at that moment, but judging by the last place his voice came from, Karin raised her middle finger in a foul hand sign. Unfortunately Ichigo wasn't standing still, being busy with the irritating search of the alarm clock, so the direction was altered, Karin showing the "pleasure finger" to someone else … she didn't know it, of course.

"Karin please … Wake up!" exclaimed Ichigo, his voice gaining an extra decibel.

"No … I'm sleepy … and I do not want to go to school" and she covered her right ear with his pillow, while the other was stuffed in her own.

Ichigo sighed, and someone, who wasn't clearly her brother, grabbed the sheet that covered her upper body and pulled it forcefully from her iron grip. She moaned at the loss, but didn't show any sign of anger. When the other saw that the girl has no intention to wake up, a decision was made.

His hands shoot at her legs, gripping them tightly in a strong and firm hold. Karin woke up instinctively, because this wasn't the first time the red head shinigami tried to wake her up so savagely.

"ABARAI!" screamed Karin, while the other was preparing to raise her from the bed "I'm awake!"

Renji smirked, pretending not to hear her panicked voice and just continued with his vicious plan. With his two hands anchored in the bed, he pulled them back, along with her two creamy legs until they were hanging in the air. Then he raised them until they were reaching the ceiling, lifting her from the bed entirely.

"LET ME GO! Or I swear you will regret dying and meeting Ichigo!" roared Karin, her threat sounding pathetic, especially in the position she was in. Her whole body was hanging upside down, being suspended by Renji's hand … and even in this situation her mouth was running loose.

"You little bastard … just wait till I release myself from here … you have no idea what I'll do to you" and her hands were gesticulating fanatically, hitting the carpet at certain moments of wideness "When I'm free I will … Arrghh!" screamed Karin when Renji released his hold on her legs.

When she was about to clash in the ground someone caught her by the waist in a reversed position. She was facing her savior's feet, thanking god that her brother was so fast when it came to saving the ones he loved. Ichigo switched the position, putting her slowly on the ground, with care and kindness, being pleased only after he checked for any apparent injuries.

Finally, after the close inspection, he attacked Renji in a fit of rage.

"What the hell was that? Do You know how dangerous such a fall is… for a human? Do you have any idea …"

Realizing that her role was done and the red head shinigami was in for a long preaching and beating, Karin decided to leave them alone, and go eat the first meal of the day.

After Karin left the room, the discussion changed its topic, the new subject being proposed by non other than Ichigo.

"Renji … her reiatsu is …"

"I know" announced the lieutenant "I can feel it … clearly … and you know that it's only the beginning"

The Kurosaki palmed his face in a distinct sign of distress. He knew that his friend was right, but to hear from someone else that the sister he loved the most was in grave danger, shook his inner world. It was like history was repeating itself again and again, screwing with its components, namely the humans.

"Don't worry Ichigo" said the other, trying to reassure the orange haired shinigami "She isn't like you … and I know she'll be able to control it better than you were … and let's be serious … you still are unable to control yours, even after all these years."

Yet his soothing words weren't helping anyone, but his consciousness and duty towards the only real friend he ever had. Finally Renji dropped the subject fearing a general break down form the substitute shinigami.

"I came to tell you about an important meeting between the top Soul Reapers… I wasn't informed of its content, but they told me it's vital for you to be there" informed Renji with an official tone "It's tomorrow at 3" he jumped on the window frame with dexterity, preparing to leave, when he remembered something "And … don't forget that she's your sister; if she got something from you it's the ability to improve at a high speed" and he jumped outside, leaving the house just as silently as he appeared.

Ichigo was again alone, with unnerving thoughts. He knew that Karin's powers were growing exponentially every day, and he's greatest fear was for his sister's safety. He wanted to keep her away from the dangerous shinigami world, but at this rate such a feat seemed impossible.

This was one of the reasons why he asked the Captain-Commander to keep the snow-white captain in Soul Society for an indefinite period of time. He saw in his sister's eyes a light that threatened everything he worked so hard to accomplish … he saw the desire to become a shinigami, a desire he didn't want to bear …

In the mean time Karin walked downstairs, only to find an abandoned kitchen and two cold meals carefully arranged on the table. They were undoubtedly hers and Ichigo's, because Yuzu already left at school, and Isshin was in the clinic.

Karin sight when she realized that her sister forgot to wait for her … or maybe it was intentional. But she already knew the answer to this question. Her sister didn't forget anything, she just wasn't in the mood for another fight, and Karin couldn't blame her, especially after what happened the previous night.

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The villain watched as the clock struck 2 o'clock. Time seemed to slow down, prolonging the wait … till his date. It sounded exceedingly strange to say that he had a date with a girl, but since this girl is the little sister of his arch enemy, he couldn't complain over the company. He was staying on a chair, in front of what he came to name _computer_, looking through the window at the passing students. They were so happy and pleased by anything and could perceive only futile ideas, but it was true that a little brain could only work as a little brain. He couldn't ask the cats to talk, more than he could ask a human to act like a god … like him.

'_God complex ...'_ thought Aizen, while his right hand moved under his chin, working as a support and creating a perfect image of a meditating man '_she was so close when she said I have a god complex_ _… missing the point only by an inch … All she had to do was to replace the verb to have with to be and remove complex from the proposition. But close …_' paranoia took over him '_maybe_ _too close_'

But this conclusion didn't change the fact that he had one hour and a half of another boring and useless computer science lesson. The best part was that the private lesson was talking place during the official hour of computer science, so he didn't have to postpone the date he had with the Kurosaki bitch. So at 3 and a half, he would enjoy one of the best things he had ever planned. His project consisted in seducing Yuzu with his charming and _kind_ personality, talking advantage of her innocent nature, and when she will fall for him … he will break her … metaphorically … and maybe even literally. It was classic and simple, and because of that, it will tear apart the Kurosaki family like a knife cutting through them and their bonds.

His mind changed the topic, becoming bored with the one at hand. He hoped that the bitch had the decency to give up, labeling him as a lost cause or in the worst case she arranged for another student to take her place.

However the door opened, and in the doorframe a girl stood, destroying all of Aizen's "complicated" hypotheses …

"Captain …" smiled Aizen at the tomboy, hoping that the expression she wore on the face would soften, but it didn't.

When he saw that the strategy clearly didn't work, his attention switched on her disrupted appearance, noticing dark circles under her blue eyes. It wasn't the only sign of fatigue he saw, the crooked back being obvious to anyone that took the time to watch.

Aizen frowned, but decided to shut up, because apart from seeming overly tired, Karin looked pissed off, and somewhere a little brain cell told him that he was at fault. Of course the villain didn't bother with such useless thoughts. He acquired the usual amused smirk which had angered Karin through all their sessions, and waited for a statement that should include 'retard', 'Samaki' and 'computer'

Nothing came … only silence.

In the mean time, Karin didn't make eye contact with Azien even once, being way too pissed with the actual situation … and to look in his brown eyes meant acceptance over his date with her twin … and she couldn't agree with her little sister dating a monster like him. To think that she even believed such an outrageous thing like … loving him or something close, disgusted every particle of her being. Repugnance and horror were the only things she will ever feel for an abomination like Aizen.

While deciding the position she will take over the problem (Aizen), she quietly pressed the on/off button, starting the computer. The screen lightened up and she waited for the background software to load. Being a laboratory, the computers stored there were old and working with ancient hardware pieces … they barely had any memory, the processor was a late version of AMD Sempron, and if they were lucky 10 Gb of hard disk space, from which 2 were occupied by the OS (operating system). If she were to begin complaining over the OS … she won't finish till morning.

Still, during this (long) period of loading the files, the desktop and all those tiny executables working in the background, Karin stared blankly at the screen. She did that because every section of her body was burning from an unwanted heat that spread through her rapidity … first the eyes, then the neck then going down on her chest and spreading through her hands until reaching the fingernails, where the heat became unsupportable.

In the mean time Aizen's eyes were leaving hot trails of lava on her sensitive skin wherever they wandered. They were studying her whole body, from head to toe, without lingering in a single place. Even with 60% of covered skin, his stare penetrated through the thin cloth, making Karin wish she had a bottle of water. She tried to shake the unpleasant feeling from her skin, not being able to do it completely, because there was something she didn't know.

His eyes were roaming freely on her skin without any obstacles, but this wasn't why Karin was experiencing the strange sensation. Just a lustful gaze cannot make someone feel like burning inside out… and this wasn't even a lustful gaze.

At first, the girl thought it was only her sick teenage imagination, but then she felt it … lingering on her skin, barely recognizable, but there … a tiny hint of reiatsu. It wasn't hers, obviously, because she would have been able to distinguish her own energy … no. This was a highly controlled reiatsu, because only a very flexible energy could be able of such a pointed pressure. Not too strong, yet not unnoticeable either, just enough to provoke an embarrassing reaction.

Aizen was to blame for this strange reiatsu? Or someone else was hiding in the shades … she wondered …

Her epidermal cells screamed at the heavy pressure, and as a reflexive reaction her reiatsu spiked above average, chasing away the intruding one … whatever happened worked, because the burning sensation disappeared, along with the foreign energy.

'_I'll ask Ichigo if it was a high ranked shinigami in the area_' after studying the other's level of reiatsu, discovering that it was unusually low, even for a human and without the ability to sustain any ghost related powers, she concluded that '_Aizen ain't doing anything … but someone else is ... _'

"Something wrong, Karin?" asked innocently Aizen, attracting Karin's unwanted attention, and apprehension towards the conclusion that he wasn't the one doing the previous stunt.

A normal person wouldn't have perceived the slight forcefulness hidden behind Aizen's mask, but Karin did, which meant again that she wasn't a normal person. She looked at his face with extra care, searching for something she wasn't sure it existed. Finishing the search without a useful result, she concluded in attacking Samaki with her usual irony

"It's captain … not Karin"

"Of course it is … Karin" smiled Aizen, flashing a dangerous grin in her direction.

She chose to ignore the comment and the grin, still avoiding any eye contact. She was watching the screen, sometimes looking at the computer's lights waiting for the hard disk light to stop the blipping.

In the mean time, Aizen had some new information to digest, and being left alone, without the scrutinizing gaze he usually received from the bitch, was a good thing.

First of all, his impression over Karin's utility in his plan proved to be a wrong one. The moment she rejected his reiatsu with her own, he was able to sense that the girl possessed a great amount of spiritual pressure; and if he was telling that someone had a great _something_, that meant they were exceeding in the amount of that _something_. But every light comes with a shadow … With all this natural talent, she still seemed inexperienced with it, using it irrationally. Or to throw reiatsu around you like a fountain throwing water in its pool was a waste for its user and for the ones around you.

The next problem was the method he'll use when approaching her … She wasn't like her friend, Yuzu, easy to manipulate and a little child at heart. He had a hunch that her fiery temper and strong attitude came from seeing ghosts at an early age, and if she possessed such a reiatsu, the hollow threat was on the agenda.

So many possibilities, yet he was reluctant in moving forward with any of them, because while all were good and previously tested, they could fail when applied to her. She was different, and even if it hurt to admit, a true challenge for his evil mastermind. Also the fact that she had some doubts regarding his goodness was an obstacle in wining her over.

'_Is she in touch with the Kurosaki famiy?_' thought Aizen, while Karin checked the hard disk light again '_I wouldn't be surprised, since her friend is a Kurosaki_'

"Open Microsoft Word" commanded Karin, snapping him out or the reverie.

She made contact with his eyes, but turned them around immediately after … Maybe because she feared what she saw in them.

"What?" asked sleepily Aizen, his face acquiring an innocent theme.

Karin rolled her eyes, deciding to repeat the quest for the obviously deft Samaki.

"I said open Microsoft Word" when Aizen didn't respond, being busy watching her with soft, caring eyes, she snapped angrily at him "And wipe that expression off your face"

The villain sighed, realizing that his plan became 10 times more complicated, only by adding this woman in its equation. She will be his death … But then, he wasn't a good guy either, so why listen to a whiny girl …

"Come again?" tried the man to annoy her, partially succeeding.

Since Karin's patience was limited, the limit being two statements, she snapped at Aizen, forgetting the eye contact restriction.

"Why do you have to act like an asshole … with a god complex?" and her dark blue eyes met his brown ones in a fight of dominance.

He discarded the innocent look, preferring to show his true face, decorated with an evil grin that foretold nothing good. But he kept the eye contact intact, trying to freak her out with their malefic sparkle.

"Why do you have to act like a …?" he raised an eyebrow "I will let you decide the noun that suits you the best." His words clearly awakened a reaction in his companion, because her orbs darkened.

In the short time they spent together, Aizen began to anticipate her reactions, and this metaphoric darkening meant a high level of annoyance. God … How much he loved to piss her off.

"I will reserve an appropriate answer for some other time … when we won't be in school … where teachers can hear me" snarled Karin, finally breaking the eye contact "I'll let you guess what I mean by that"

"Sounds dangerous"

Karin ignored him, like she always did when pissed of exponentially, settling for a deep growl of annoyance.

She opened the Microsoft word processor while giving (screaming) instructions to the bored man. Realizing that Aizen will not deign to spare even a tiny portion of his precocious attention, the girl surrendered and used Jinta's advice. Even if purely theoretical, the recommendation had a seed of truth in it … theory won't take her anywhere with a smartass like Aizen

"Write something" said Karin, deciding to leave the commanding tone for another time, when her companion would be more willing to listen "I don't care what … just write whatever crosses your _intelligent_ mind" but sarcasm was part of her being, a part that couldn't miss from her speech.

Aizen reticently touched the keyboard, thinking of something really intelligent to write. Humans were unable to understand his high intellect, so he had to lower his god-ish mind in order to make the bitchy captain understand it … bitchy. An idea formed in his mind, being mirrored as an evil smirk on his attractive face.

His middle finger touched the b key, continuing with a series of fast and pointed pressings until the word 'biatch' appeared on the screen.

Karin seemed unaffected by the foul language.

She even reached forward, pressing the Enter key. She began to type another word, while with the corner of her eye she studied Aizen and his concentration over every move she made. If a moment ago, his attention was anywhere but with her, now she got it all.

When Karin finished typing, she moved backwards, intentionally leaving the cursor at the end of the word 'idiot'; this way Aizen would be forced to press Enter.

… he pressed the L-shaped key and wrote the word 'witch'

Karin smiled at his smug expression; she was proud by her accomplishment … and the best part was that Aizen didn't seem to realize what happened.

She continued the game, by writing 'man whore'. This was another way of teaching Aizen the spacebar. As a counterattack he wrote 'stubborn cow', turning around immediately after he did, in order to see the reaction he got from the girl.

She was just as unaffected by this as before, and if he looked closer, he could almost see a hint of smile at the corner of her rosy lips. Maybe it was there because she had pressed the B bold button and then continued by typing 'retard'

Aizen was displeased with his lack of computer knowledge, because he was unable to force a powerful counterattack, being only capable of copying her moves … copy her moves … He understood what was her real plan, and he had to give it her … for a moment she fooled him with this interesting strategy. From curiosity, more than thirst of information, Aizen continued the funny game Karin had started, by writing 'vixen'.

The girl moved forward, ushering Aizen in a corner with her pointed elbow. He tried to shake the nudging elbow from between his ribs, but Karin's stillness prevented him from doing so. He was about to throw her off the chair, the position they were in made the task very simple, when his eyes fell on what she was writing.

"Angel?" asked Aizen looking incredulously at her amused expression.

"Ups" exclaimed theatrically Karin, pressing backspace a couple of times until 'angel' disappeared from the screen, exemplifying the deletion per letter. After she was done, she wrote 'fucking', pressed space and then caps lock, finishing with a 'DEVIL' written with big letters.

"Better?" asked ironically Karin, not waiting for an answer.

….

The game continued in the same playful pace.

Aizen became totally engrossed in this act of teaching and gradually Karin was attracted in its entangling nets as well. It was just a matter of time, before both of them created different (computer) ways to annoy each other.

A word plus a picture became a joke and time flew by without them noticing its constant but certain passing.

…

Karin was laughing like a maniac, when a woman, probably a lab assistant, had entered in the small laboratory eying the two teenagers with disgust. What she believed was written all over her face, but Karin didn't understand the unusual reaction because of her still innocent mind. Even with a temper and a big measure of foolish courage, she was still very much innocent when sexual matters were concerned.

"I have to close the laboratory in 10 minutes" mumbled the woman in a robotic way, turning around and shutting the door after her.

The girl waited 30 seconds, until she was sure the hag had disappeared, bursting in a fit of laughter immediately after. Aizen understood her amusement, because from their point of view, the woman entered, recited some gibberish robotic nonsense, and left without saying goodbye, or at least something intelligible.

"Have you understood what she just said?" asked Karin, still trying to control her erratic chuckles.

The man smirked, relaxing his hurting back against the chair. During the game, both of them were crooked over the same computer, so his gigai got stiff from the uncomfortable position. Realizing only now how incredibly tense were his muscles, he cracked his neck making an awful sound of braking bones echo in the room.

He observed closely as Karin shivered when hearing it, and performed the same treatment on all his other tendons, from the ankle to the elbow, finishing with the knuckles. The last one was the worst and Karin was about to scream some profanities at him, when he decided to answer her previous question.

"She said something about closing the laboratory in 10 minutes"

"Oh shit!" cursed Karin, forgetting all about Aizen's annoying way of muscle-relaxation "It's three and 25" she said after she had checked the computer clock "How did the time few by so fast?"

Aizen was suddenly and brutally woken up from the daze, when he remembered the date he had with Yuzu … at 3:20. When they discussed about it, just before Karin's stormy appearance, he said after school, and since school finished at 3:20 … he was already late. He still had a little hope that the Kurosaki was latent in her moves, and the gathering of personal goods would take at last 5 minutes.

"I have to go" announced Aizen, without leaving space for contradiction.

When he was about to reach for the school backpack, Karin's hand shoot upwards stopping it in mid air. He tried to shake her off, but her grip was surprisingly strong for a little girl … if he was honest, her grip was stronger than a full grown man's, but still no match for him.

So it didn't come as a surprise when Aizen snapped his hand back.

"Where are you going?" asked the girl spiking her reiatsu unconsciously.

Aizen stuck his legs into the ground, trying not to cringe at the intense pressure.

She was leashing out strips of reiatsu that threatened to alert every hollow in are, and he couldn't do anything about it. Sure, he had enough spiritual energy to beat a mere hollow, but to let it out wasn't an option, at least not without a strong barrier surrounding him.

If he tried to use even a little portion of his reiatsu, any shingami on a mile radius would come there in an instant seeking for him. After all he possessed one of the most powerful, unique and well known types of energy. The little amount he used to annoy Karin was untraceable, so it was no danger. But Ichigo, Urahara and Isshin were the worst in this equation, because they knew his signature from the fights he had with them, and they were living in Karakura, which was worse. They would be the first to follow his trail, and his cover would be irremediably destroyed.

As a second thought, he had some ideas concerning Soul Society, one of them being that they already discovered his escape, but they were keeping it a secret from the lower ranked shinigami in order to avoid panic.

"It's none of your business" elegantly answered Aizen, continuing the task of gathering his bag. He wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. To meet a hollow was not an option, and with Karin's leaking reiatsu … he was in grave danger.

"You are not going anywhere with Yuzu … or I swear you will want to die" snared Karin, her eyes sparkling with hate and resentfulness. If possible, her energy raised even more working as a backup for her threatening words.

He tried to sidestep, in order to avoid her, but Karin followed him, being now position in front of him. She looked ridiculous with her hands on her hips, watching him with an intense glare, but Aizen couldn't make fun, now of all times. For the first time, he was panicking over the dangerous situation.

"Get. Out. Of. My. Way. … now …"

"Scared a girl will beat you?" mocked Karin approaching him with a face that foretold nothing good.

With all the panic and danger, Aizen was still able to maintain a little sarcasm in his system, and through magic, he forgot all about the hollows that were undoubtedly being attracted there by Karin's strong reiatsu.

"I thought we decided a long time ago that you're not a girl"

This infuriated Karin even more; she had something with guys that threatened her femininity, not that she had any, but still … she was a girl.

"And I thought we decided a long time ago that you are a retard" yelled Karin "but you're not going on a date with Yuzu"

"And why is that?" asked Aizen as he crossed his arms over the chest, eying her, with that confident smirk of his still painted on his face.

Karin backed away a little, recreating her personal space.

"You are asking me … why?" her expression being one of total disbelief "You know why Aizen" the bitterness in her voice woke up an unpleasant feeling in his gut, but he ignored it, waiting for the continuation "You know it better than me"

However, Aizen chose to peruse the subject, being curious if her intuition was so developed that she was able to guess his real motive

"I don't know what you're talking about" stated Aizen with an innocent face that might have worked on someone else but Karin saw right through it.

"When I came, you were acting all soft and charming, but I'm no fool Aizen" he acknowledged the fact that she used his surname again "You didn't ask her on a date for your pleasure"

"You weren't even there. How could you …" began the man, only to be rudely interrupted by Karin's harsh, but true words … words that gone right through him.

"I know you. I see you Aizen … I can see what you are." She said smugly, even if her expression was dead serious.

The man watched in pure awe, not believing what he just heard. A human girl dared to say that she understood a god's mind. For obvious reasons this was a paradox he was unable to comprehend. As a result, Aizen approached Karin's figure, who in return stepped back … and back, until her rear hit the wall.

Karin was regretting the loss of her personal space, which tended to happen a lot in Aizen's company, but for now, she was having other problems, like Aizen hovering over her small and unprotected body.

"You do not know me … because if you did, not even your foolish courage could help you from trembling like a frightened child" informed Aizen, with a dark expression painted on his face.

When she felt his unusually cold breath hit the top of her head, Karin shivered, but something dared her to continue.

"I told you before, and I will tell you again" she raised her head, making eye contact with the enraged villain "You are not scaring me with this mental shit"

This infuriated Aizen even more, crossing any known boundaries and waking a spark of violence he didn't know to exist in his soul. But at least her reiatsu tempered its flame. As a last inquiring, Aizen asked.

"Then tell me … What am I?"

Karin seemed to gather her courage and when she finished the important task, she said the words that really made Aizen realize that no matter how powerful she was, this girl was the worst kind of human he could encounter. And this type of human could be reduced to silence only by using the classic way.

"These eyes tell a history of crime and they speak of a well earned experience" she earned a devilish glare from her companion that still hadn't bothered to give her the space she needed; so she continued, knowing that it will make the situation worse "I don't know exactly what you are, but I have two words that would describe you the best" he didn't say anything, but his brown eyes were ushering her to finish the statement "monster … and abomination"

"Don't mix in my business … or you will die, Karin" her name left his tongue, leaving a bitter taste behind; when he said business, he meant Yuzu and other future things that may become part of his plan.

On the other hand, Karin stiffed, her whole body becoming as rigid as a piece of meat, when a foreign hand moved over her throat, softly massaging the breakable trachea. She still had no idea how in the god's name, his hand got there, but she wanted it off her ASAP.

"Samaki. Take you hand off my neck" commanded Karin, trying to stay calm … the attempt being futile, because her voice shook with concern over the fact that she had a hand almost wrapped around her neck.

"Did you know that the neck is the most fragile part of the human body?" said casually Aizen, ignoring her not so kind request.

"No" reticently answered Karin "And I don't give a fuck"

Aizen stepped back, smiling innocently at the girl, his face acquiring a fatherly expression "Such foul language" his hand left its previous place, coming back beside his body.

In the mean time, Karin refrained her palm from touching the fragile skin of her neck, in order to check the damage, but didn't want to show any kind of weakness in front of Aizen.

"You are sick …" she snarled, being very close to growl like a dog.

Aizen just smirked, and took the backpack that rested comfortably on a near by chair. With one last glance, he exited the room, without addressing a word of apology or a goodbye to the woman that taught him how to use Microsoft Word.

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… Don't know what to say ... I think it's lame *crying* … but I'm happy that through my lame chapters I was able to infect you with this paring. However I will remind you that this is my BF's idea, snowAry. Her creativity excels the sky … this is my attempt of a figure of speech.

Please do not expect something great from Yuzu's date, because you will be disappointed.

For those that hope a Karin-Toshiro paring … sorry to "cut your macaroni" but it won't happen. Sure, I plan to make them meet again, but not in the near future … maybe a triangle, but I'm still thinking. For now I have to work on Aizen and Karin *crying*. I will explain all there is to explain through Karin's diary

… about Ichigo, I'm not sure. He's useful … but only as a side character; and this story is focused mainly on Karin and Aizen. Yuzu will be … err … a catalyst … an important character for the future development, but Karin is and will be in the foreground through the whole story.

The part with 'How to learn Microsoft Word' was snowAry's idea. I thought and I still think that it's a brilliant idea, and the only way to make Aizen pay attention XD.

Sorry for the computer part, but I couldn't stop myself XD … the programmer in me was screaming in pleasure the whole time. Ironically my own computer has an AMD microprocessor *laughing* but it's an Athlon (told you I'm a computer geek … still if you want a good processor I recommend you Intel … even if it's expensive. My mom's laptop has Intel and it's a delight to work on it)


	7. Don't you want to sing too?

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

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**To b****reak is all I know**

**Chapter ****7: ****Don't you want to sing too?**

"_Two weeks have passed since my first fight with Yuzu …_

_She's still sulking in our room and every time I enter, a rush of guilt seems to find its way in my soul. God damn it! And of course Jinta had to find out about our little quarrel and thought that barging in our house like a maniac screaming obscenities at me was a good idea. Not that I didn't deserve them …but not from Jinta … from Yuzu maybe, or from father._

_Ichigo tries to be impartial, but for some reason he cannot do that when I'm involved. He was the only one that took my side during the whole trial of __**who's to blame for this shit**__._

_Yeah …I know. We had a trial and believe me it was pretty pathetic. Yuzu was cleared of any charge, while I was accused of being a bloody bitch._

_The jury was composed from Rukia, Renji, Toshiro, Orihime and Ishida. I had no chance. Orihime and Rukia voted for Yuzu because they are sooo in love with her, Renji and Ishida did the same, because they cannot stand me and my unbelievably troublesome personality, and Toshiro voted for Yuzu because … I don't know why … and the only reason I'm thinking of gets me all riled up again._

_If I were to tell you why we had a fight, it would sound incredibly stupid, and believe me it is incredibly stupid._

_She tried to make me wear a dress, and as I'm an irreversible tomboy, I declined her offer in an offending way. We argued for a while, until she said something about me not being feminine and not trying to act at least like a girl … and from here on hell broke loose._

_Damn it … we are 11, we are just children. Just because I act like a tomboy now, doesn't mean I'll act like one forever. Right?_

_At least I had Ichigo … my one and only defender. But now I know that no matter what happens and in what trouble I'll enter, he'll be there … taking my side and protecting me from everyone. I know I'm acting like a coward, but it's all right to have someone by your side._

_Still …I'll have a little discussion with Toshiro about his vote, and if he doesn't find a good reason, Gotei 13 will have to find a new captain for the 10-th squad … soon. _"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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After what happened in the laboratory, Aizen elegantly dashed towards the high school yard, the meeting place he decided with Yuzu. He was doing an interesting combination of walking, running and rushing, still being able to look graceful. But the calm, kindness and severity he inspired to any passing student was being a cover for his chaotic mind and just as erratic thoughts.

He was revising his strategy, because the one at hand was not going anywhere; and over all the problems he had with Ichigo's sister, Karin was becoming more and more dangerous.

Aizen tightened his right fist, trying to forget her piercing words. Even if he didn't want to confess, a part of him believed her statement … '_I know you. I see you Aizen_'. Without dropping the façade his mind wandered towards the other thing that struck him, and made him realize the potential problem she could become in the near future. Karin said those things about his eyes… true things, but not visible to a simple human, even a highly intuitive one like her. Or he was losing his touch, dropping the necessary walls he built in order to protect his false identity, or she was too shrewd for her own good.

He could hear her words echoing again and again inside his head '_These eyes tell a history of crime and they speak of a well earned experience_'. As a result he closed his eyes, meditating on their meaning … on their true meaning, because a conclusion even a simpleton could make out of it. But he couldn't comprehend how was a human capable of seeing so far inside his soul. Maybe she wasn't just a human, maybe she was a shingami …

"Aizen-san?" asked a young woman with brownish hair. She was watching him worryingly, and his dazed face spoke for itself "Are you ok?"

Her question seemed inappropriate, and somehow unnecessary, especially with Aizen's dreamy gaze. He was still lingering inside his mind, trying to decipher some unknown mystery.

Finally he woke up from the slumber and rushed to excuse himself "I'm so sorry, Kurosaki-san. I have the bad habit to daydream in bright daylight" he smiled softly hiding tumultuous thoughts behind it "I know it is strange, so I'm sorry if I startled you"

Yuzu chuckled and by doing so, she erased any doubts from Aizen's mind. For now, the man was sure that she will be an easy target just like Hinamori once was, if not easier than her. But again his mind took a different route, thinking of Karin and those awfully correct statements. He saw her dark blue eyes burring daggers in his, without showing any kind of fear. They were bugging him like an ever lasting itch and he couldn't do anything about them … dangerous eyes and a dangerous woman.

He shook his head, moving his attention back on Yuzu, who was smiling softly and innocently at him. A light in her brown eyes told him she was anxious and overly joyful, expecting this date to be a blast.

"Shall we go?" he asked while offering her his left arm.

The girl blushed, but accepted the offered hand, thinking how lucky she was to go on a date with this elegant and gentle man. After a quick look around her, perhaps looking for a Karin hidden behind a bush, she asked:

"Where do you propose we go?"

With one hell of a seductive smile, Aizen softly said "Can I keep it a secret"

"Of course Aizen-san" answered Yuzu, practically suffocating his left hand in a tight grip.

Her whole being was radiating happiness and her bright smile infuriated Aizen beyond limit. He was beginning to regret ever inviting her on a date in the first place, but what was done, was done, and he had to go through with it … for his plan … his plan of definitely destroying the Kurosakis and Soul Society.

As a last try Aizen strengthened his stomach, subduing the annoying nauseating sensation, but it didn't work, amplifying it even more.

'_Why?_' asked rhetorically the villain '_Why did it have to be so simple in Soul Society? Why did I have to lose everything! My Arrancars, my army … my fucking Espada_' he did a metaphoric face palm '_If I had won that time, I wouldn't be in this pathetic situation_'

And they left at a local and cheap restaurant, Yuzu being totally draped over the man's arm.

Unconsciously, Aizen touched his right palm seeking for the last remain of Karin's reiatsu. Her energy was stirring his insides like boiling water and he couldn't understand why. Maybe it was a part of him that reacted positively or negatively at her smooth, but firm reiatsu. She was a powerful woman and he was a powerful man … math is always simple.

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Meanwhile Karin was still squashed against the wall, not believing what had just happened. With a hand wrapped around her neck, checking its integrity and the other held on the wall for support, Karin could only stare at the window. She could hear shouts and shrieks of joy undoubtedly from overly happy students that left their daily prison.

Now, after the adrenaline had been eliminated from her blood stream, the girl was having a rush of fear; her whole body trembled when realized in what deadly situation it was put through. The hand that had the role of supporting her body moved instinctually on her previously abused neck, leaving her unbalanced against the wall. It didn't take much to send her on her rear, but she didn't care, because she was still in sock.

This was the way the woman that asked them to leave the laboratory found her … slammed on the ground, leaning her head against the wall behind her. It was a pretty pathetic sight …

"Please leave the laboratory. I have to close it" commanded the said woman, this time with enough force to be heard.

Karin was just as motionless as before, the only reaction she had to the woman's words being a half protest which sounded more like a groan. Finally after the woman tapped her head, Karin raised her head, making a short eye contact with her. She repeated and the girl was obliged to follow her orders, raising from the ground slowly, and exiting the room …

… And then it happened. It struck her like a tone of bricks, making her dash toward the school yard. Whoever happened to be in her path was rewarded with a clash, a punch or in the best case a nudge, but they didn't follow her … one of the reasons being the look of pure terror she wore on her white like marble face, the second one being the reputation she hold as one of the heavyset punches in Karakura.

'_Damn it_' mentally swore Karin, missing the wall by an inch '_I can't believe I let Yuzu go on a date with that man … he's a fucking maniac_' her speed increased even more, scaring the shit out of anyone that happened to pass her '_I hope I'm not late. Please let me be on time_'

She broke through the front doors, knocking her math teacher off her feet, but since she was good at math it was no danger. But all the relief she felt when seeing a couple kissing passionately turned into dreadful fear when she realized they weren't Aizen and Yuzu. Apart from them, another guy was tying his laces while a girl was chatting happily on the phone with her boyfriend.

"Damn it!" this time Karin swore loudly, starling the kissing couple.

"What's your problem?" screamed the boy, wanting probably to act al macho in front of his girlfriend.

But Karin wasn't in a good mood, so she just ignored the rebel teenager. If she were in a good mood, the boy wouldn't have walked for a long time and his chances of ever having an heir would have been practically zero, but today was his lucky day.

Karin walked away, not forgetting to apologize for the sudden bump. The math teacher seemed reticent in giving her forgiveness, but when she saw Karin's sad expression she agreed as a sign of goodness.

Afterwards Karin rushed through town, seeking desperately for Yuzu. She would have searched for her reiatsu, but since Yuzu had a little amount of spiritual energy, such a feat was impossible. She looked in every fancy restaurant, every theater and almost every cinema, but she was nowhere to be found …

Only after that Karin gave up and returned home.

A rushed feeling of guilt entered her soul like a plague, threatening any sanity she had left. Yuzu was in danger and she was to blame for it. If she hadn't been so scared by Aizen's empty threats, she could have stopped her sister from going with that sinister man. How much she regretted that moment of pathetic weakness … a moment of weakness that could endanger her sister's precious life. Unconsciously she swore it will be last time, she will be intimidated by Samaki, or any other man.

She paced around the house, digging trenches in the ground. When she realized that the soil was all muddy and dirty, transferring its qualities to her trousers, she decided to move her position in the house. Here everything was silent.

Ichigo was probably out with his friends or hunting hollows or both, since his friends had the tendency to be very spiritually aware. Her father was in the clinic, but she didn't want to disturb him from the hard occupation of being a doctor. And Yuzu … she had no idea where Yuzu was, but she knew with whom. Fear over her sister's fate took over her again, and at some point she asked herself if she wasn't just being paranoid. But then she would remember his hand on her throat, talking about its fragility and bullshit like that.

In a rush of fear, Karin grabbed the phone, searching in its agenda for a number. Her hands typed the name 'Andrew' and when the search engine found it, she pressed the call button.

After three calls, a tired male voice answered '_Hello?_'

"Andy" exclaimed Karin "It's me … Kurosaki Karin" she didn't give him time to answer or to remember her "I want to ask you if you have a classmate named Aizen Samaki"

A short pause was heard on the other line and then the boy's response came '_Yeah … I have a classmate with that name_' he seemed to sigh, but Karin wasn't sure because of the jamming and the bad connection '_He's new student … why do you ask?_'

"I have a little request for you … being the class representative and all" said sweetly the girl, knowing that the class representative card will work the best

'_A request?_'

"Yeah …" mumbled Karin, playing with the telephone cord "I don't know if you heard about his total inability to work with a computer" amusement jingled in her voice "But I guess you did …"

'_There isn't a soul who didn't hear_' he said, sounding awfully serious for someone that should have been amused '_but I don't think it's a funny thing …_'

Karin realized that Andrew wasn't amused by Samaki's situation, so she discarded the humor acquiring a serious tone as well "Look … The teacher put me in charge of his private lessons, but he's being a … bother. And I don't have talent in the teaching department, so I wonder if you can find someone else to do my job"

Andrew seemed to think of something and finally said '_Okay. Don't worry_' his voice was calm and somehow happy '_I'll teach him how to use the computer_'

"Thank you" sighed Karin, relief spreading on her face "Thank you very much for doing this. I owe you one"

'_Don't worry_' the boy on the other line reassured her '_Then …_' an awkward silence enveloped the conversation. It was a usual thing when you want to say goodbye and do not know how to initiate it without sounding like an impolite person.

"Okay … then bye … and thanks again" said Karin, getting over the slight moment of embarrassment "And sorry if I disturbed you … or something" she felt like adding after remembering his tired voice when he answered the phone.

'_You didn't disturb me_' politely said Andrew, his statement sounding fairly fake '_We'll see each other at school. And by the way … at what hour are these private lessons?_'

"At 2 … they are during your computer science lessons. I guess you will have to speak with the teacher" answered Karin, hoping that Andrew will not back down, especially now after he accepted her proposal.

Luckily he had no intention of doing so, finishing the conversation with an '_Ok_' and a rushed '_Goodbye_'

Karin pressed the red button, turning off the connection. She even checked the time, observing that she spoke barely over 2 minutes. Usually she would have found something to discuss with the person on the other line, without regarding their gender, age or occupation, but today was one of those times when she wasn't in the mood to do so.

Taking advantage of the fact that her siblings and father weren't home, Karin turned on the radio searching for her favorite music station. After a long pursuit, the radio buzzed and an old country song echoed in the room. The station still had some bugs, but they didn't alter the music in any way, being only an annoying background sound.

Karin hummed a little and when the woman began the song, she carefully listened to it, trying to distinguish who was the one singing. Not remembering her name exactly, Karin continued to hum, the lyrics still lingering somewhere inside her mind.

It didn't take much for Karin to become engrossed in the melody, climbing on the table and screaming like crazy the chorus.

"Don't you wanna come?" sang the girl, her voice being fit for anything but singing "Don't you wanna ride? Hmmm … mm … mm " she mumbled the last part, not being to sure of the lyrics "I know why I'm singin' ... Don't you want to sing too" this time she yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice resembling the tune an old cow died of.

From behind her someone screamed, trying to cover the radio that had the volume at maximum

"When I hear you sing like that I instantly grow tired of ever singing, little sister"

Karin didn't give any attention to her big brother, who was standing in the door leaning against its frame. He was wearing a satisfied smirk on his face and a camera was hanging from his neck, dangling every time he slightly moved his head.

On his other side, Isshin was sawing in the air, imitating his daughter. He wasn't doing a very good job, because at some point he slipped on the greasy sandstone knocking off a vase and, undoubtedly, Ichigo. From here Ichigo and Isshin got into a fighting/bonding period, punching each other as hard as they could, not censuring the words either, and ignored Karin who continued the phonic pollution.

…

Ten minutes later Karin turned off the radio, along with the loud music and opened the computer in order to check her mail. The two males were still fighting somewhere under the table, being covered in bruises, but still very much able to continue the violent conflict. In one burst of energy, Isshin unplugged the computer on which Karin was writing a very important email; she was about to press the send button when it happened.

"Father" snarled Karin dangerously under the table

"Yes my beautiful and spiny cactus" sweetly said the father, smiling innocently at his daughter and doing a metal pray to the mighty god and any other divinity he could think of; from Zeus and Athena to Hades and Hephaestus

Karin's face darkened, which wasn't a good sign, and when she screamed "I'm going to unplug your junior" Isshin knew that his chances of ever having another child would be greatly diminished.

"Wait … Karin" but it was already too late because the girl jumped on him attacking his face "Argh!" screamed the man trying to pry her off "Have mercy on your father" but she didn't listen, if not her violence raise at a superior degree, making everything worse.

He yelled at the poster about his abusive daughter, he roared something about a delinquent child and in the end was unable to say anything else because his mouth was so swollen that he wasn't capable of talking, or eating or anything that involved his oral cavity.

…

After one hour, Isshin returned to his daily duty as a professional medic and Ichigo turned into a shinigami, leaving that Modified Soul, Kon, in his body which, I have to add, left to stalk Orihime. The house was quite again and Karin watched the clock ticking and ticking, counting the seconds and waiting for her sister. The worry never left her soul, but with her family around, she was able to subdue it and fool herself that Yuzu was fine and on a date with a normal human.

Another hour passed without anything happening in the solitary house. When Karin was getting her jacket and sneakers on, Yuzu had entered through the doorway looking … happier than ever. It struck her that her sister, who was on a date with a maniac, came with such a bright smile painted on her already pretty face.

She was in such a blissful world, that she even smiled softly at Karin giving her one of the most beautiful hellos she ever received. The next part was even stranger, because Yuzu discarded her clothes on a near by chair and whistled an unknown melody. The whistling part wasn't that strange, but the part that startled the dark haired twin was that Yuzu never threw her clothes on a chair.

She would scold her every time she did that and sometimes refuse to wash the clothes because of that. A childish behavior, but this was her sister. However what she saw in that second was beyond any exception Yuzu had ever made in her entire life.

"Look … Yuzu … I'll go out for a little while …" mumbled Karin, hoping that her twin will answer.

Strangely, even after the cold shoulder she received that morning and throughout the day, Yuzu still answered jovially

"Okay … Have fun" and she hummed a happy tune, taking the apron from the hanger and dancing happily towards the kitchen.

Karin followed her with an intense gaze, but since her sister was too dizzy to notice anything else but her happiness, she gave up … she will have a talk with Yuzu later, when her brains will be cleaned of all this pathetic mushiness.

…

Being finally out of the house Karin took a huge gulp of air, deciding to check her watch immediately after. It was almost 8 and the sky was darkening, the absence of the mighty sun being perceived in the coldness that covered Karakura. Two weeks have passed since the second high school year had started for the twins, and Karin was already missing middle school and her previous friends.

She began a monotone walk towards the park, ignoring everything that happened around her, being busy with her thoughts and happy memories.

She had some interesting friends in high school as well, but those 4 fools were and will be the ones she really loved to play soccer with. They were so stupid. Toshiro would occasionally play soccer with them and by doing so he was unconsciously making her day better then before. _A bright past existing only in a gloomy future_.

Karin chuckled when realizing how incredibly lame all this sounded.

Somehow life was so simple back then. Her sister's only suitor, Jinta, was easy to beat. Now Yuzu, being in high school and not ugly at all, had a couple of them and Samaki was by far the most dangerous. She tried to believe that somewhere underneath that creepy exterior a calm and interesting personality existed, but … she couldn't.

"Hello captain" saluted a familiar voice from behind her, stopping her from the erratic thinking.

She was talking about the wolf … and guess what. He's knocking at the door.

"Aizen"

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The song is "I know where I'm going" by The Judds.

Thank you for the amazing reviews … all of you *crying* I can't believe I have 100 reviews. Btw if any of you wants to beta my story … I would be more than happy to accept your help. I won't take offense in any criticism you make … really o_o

Yeah … I want Ichigo to realize (in the future) that Toshiro was a better choice, and to regret ever sending him away … you know for the melodrama. And no … it won't be a one-sided love. I got that in real life, why would I need it in my story XD He will "care" for her, or the Aizen equivalent of care *laugh*, but gradually. And yes, he's being a jerk, a big big jerk.

Aizen has no idea that Karin is a Kurosaki … he knows her as Karin or/and captain.

And don't worry Lilith I'm a major Karin-Toshiro fan. As a matter of fact it was the first couple that I really loved in Bleach. No … I lie. The firsts were Ichiruki, Gin-Matsumoto, Nanao-Shunsui and still one of my favorites, but came later … Hiyori&Shinji. I have something with tomboys (maybe because I'm one of them)

I know this is a short one, but I've already wrote half (3 pages) of the conversation she'll have with Aizen and I don't want to split it. And I think I'll update the next chapter soon and I plan to make an interesting introduction (aka Karin's diary)


	8. Unwanted lust

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

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**To b****reak is all I know**

**Chapter ****8: Unwanted lust**

"_I was so happy, because today I was supposed to have my first match with Toshiro … my first match against Toshiro. I wanted to beat him so badly, to win, to show him I'm a capable soccer player and the last but not the least to be able to stay in front on him, straight and without fear and tell him how much I love him. _

_But he didn't show up…_

_We, my friends and I, waited for 2 hours, but gradually they left me alone; I cannot blame them since they had their own business to attend. I stood there for 3 hours and I would have stayed even more if Yuzu hadn't called me telling me about Toshiro and his sudden business in Soul Society._

_To say I was destroyed is a statement, but … I still believe that he'll come __back … he'll come, because he promised me we will have our match._

_I hate it. I hate when I'm so week in front of a boy. I can taste the bitterness in my mouth and it hurts like hell. Don't worry dear diary __when he comes back I'll show him the power of my indestructible kick._

_Kurosaki Karin's Super Kick … in your face Toshiro!_

_Literally_"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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"Aizen" Karin said reticently, acknowledging his presence "What a pleasure" the sarcasm not missing from her tone "I would say that I missed you, but my mother had taught me not to lie" she switched her supporting leg, in order to look more confident than she really felt.

Aizen didn't seem to notice, which was a good thing, but this didn't stop him from smirking with that freaky mouth of his.

"She had told me not to talk with the big bad wolf either" continued the girl, observing Aizen's questioning gaze "but I don't seem to take her advice seriously"

He understood the parable rapidly.

After a quick look around him, Aizen decided to take a seat on the nearest bench. When Karin didn't show any sign of wanting to join him, he made a little gesture with his head urging her to take the seat beside him.

She looked around as well, but when nobody familiar appeared on her radar, she took on his offer. Of course she took the necessary precautions, which meant occupying a place as far away from him as possible and being prepared for any creepiness.

On the other hand Aizen noticed the distance between them, but didn't come near in a try to invade her personal space. He looked away, studying a father and a child that played a prehistoric version of football. The uselessness he felt for this show of affection could be read in his brown orbs.

"So …Am I being the big bad wolf? Or I'm being paranoid?" asked Aizen not being able to contain his curiosity.

Karin stiffed when hearing him "I cannot give you an answer I do not know myself"

Another awkward silence enveloped them.

The first one to speak this time was Karin. She was curious about something.

"How was your date with Yuzu?"

"Fine" answered skeptically Aizen.

Something bugged him and Karin saw it, but didn't say anything. It was clear that Yuzu enjoyed their date, while he didn't and this situation was ok with her … if Aizen did nothing to her sister and even entertained her, it was ok.

"Just fine?" asked Karin raising an eyebrow at his explanation.

"… and eventless" added Aizen, turning around in a last attempt to find something to study, something else than normal humans living their normal lives in a normal city "Everything here is eventless" mumbled the man, somehow sad over the little predicament he was in "Form the milkman who comes on Monday and Friday to a date … all of them are eventless"

Karin smiled forgetting for a moment the fear she was supposed to feel in his presence.

"You cannot say that our computer science lessons are eventless, right Samaki?" dangerously snarled Karin, earning a glare in return "And I will not take no for an answer"

Aizen had to contain a burst of laughter that threatened to sneak out when he saw her serious expression "That's true Karin" smirked Aizen "Our computer crap is not that bad"

Karin, who was leaning against the bench, with one hand hanging in the grass, pulled out a hand full of flowers and weeds and threw them at Aizen. She didn't use much force, but enough to make the bundle reach the man.

To say that he was startled by the childish behavior was obvious, but he didn't expect it to come from a girl that he came to see as serious, sarcastic and volcanic; by volcanic he meant a violent and destructive kind of volcanic. She had never shown this side of her during the computer science lessons, and he could say that it came as a surprise to discover it. The innocent smile that played on her mouth suddenly became attractive and Aizen instinctively licked his lips.

"Smartass" roared Karin at him "You are acting all god-ish again"

This time he couldn't help but ask the one thing that bugged him on the inside. Maybe the air or the fact that they were both out in the open, away from the restricting school environment made them open up to each other. It was a metaphoric open up … more of a 'loosen up' relaxing themselves and forgetting their issues, their plans and their problems.

"What's with this entire god complex you keep shoving in my face?"

She didn't even falter when she answered his question, assuring him of her already formed opinion "You always act like a know-it-all. Even if, trust me, you do not know it all. And you are always so proud …"

"This is not a good reason" his brown eyes made contact with her dark blue ones in a silent combat "Argument it, and I may change my way of being"

They both knew that this feat was impossible, but Karin found it entertaining to explain anything to anyone. And if she could win an argument against Aizen, she would be more than happy to rub it in his face for a long, long time.

"Jupiter or Zeus in the Greek mythology, the well known king of the Gods was acting like a know-it-all" Aizen still looked unimpressed "For example when he was attending the sacrifices done by the humans and they asked him what he'll choose, the big or the smaller package. Being a greedy bastard and all, he chose the big one, but he had no idea that the big package contained only bones, while the small one had the raw meat in it"

Aizen concurred "That mirrors his greediness**,** true" but continued with a negation "Not the know-it-all … but a god is known for his power and cruelness, not his omniscience"

Karin glared at him, but knowing that his words were true she said "They were cruel as well, but their cruelty usually aroused from their unlimited pride and overweighed ego"

"What do you mean by that?" asked Aizen, tilting his head at a better angle.

Karin bit her lower lip as a gesture of concentration and twisted her fingers trying to remember an action that determined her to believe that the gods were cruel only when their ego was threatened or their unique abilities. A light bulb metaphorically appeared above her head when she had found the answer.

"Artemis" snapped Karin, raising an arm in the air "Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, killed a man that had the insolence to say he's a better hunter than her. Some versions say that she transformed him into a stag; not knowing that he was their master, his own dogs killed him. There is also the version in which the goddess sent a wild boar after him as punishment for stating such a profanity."

Aizen's attention was solely on Karin, while the girl continued the story in the same dynamic, but instructing way. She gestured wildly as she told him of another story about the Olympian gods' cruelty.

"There is also the story of Niobe, a queen that refused to give the usual sacrifice to Leto, Artemis's mother. The queen had seven beautiful daughters and seven sons, while Leto had only one daughter and one son, Apollo. So the woman thought that the god didn't deserve any kind of sacrifice" Karin turned around, facing Aizen completely.

The distance between them magically vanished, but she didn't realize it, being too busy with Niobe's tragic life story. Aizen wasn't even blinking his attentive stare penetrating her dark blue orbs. He was watching her like a hawk with his intense maroon eyes and for a moment Karin couldn't find her words …

Only when Aizen asked impatiently …

"And?" Karin was finally able to snap out of the daze.

"Errr … Leto sent Artemis and Apollo" stuttered the girl, but not wanting to look week in front of anyone, especially him, she put a restrain upon herself "… no. Sorry. When they heard about the blasphemy, the twins, Apollo and Artemis, killed her children with poisoned arrows. None stood a chance and the father, king Amphion, took his life immediately after he saw his children's fate. Niobe was so devastated that, when Artemis changed her in a statue, she continued to cry. She remains a weeping statue till nowadays"

She made a pause, but continued to look in Aizen's eyes, who wasn't breaking the eye contact either. They stared at each other for one minute not knowing what to do, how to react and what to say. It wasn't an awkward silence, but Karin didn't like it one bit, so she finished the story with her opinion about Niobe's unjust punishment.

"All because she defied the Gods. I find it unfair"

"The Gods shouldn't be defied. They should be listened to." stated Aizen thinking more about himself than the divinity Karin was speaking about.

However the girl counterattacked, frowning at her red haired companion "Why? Judging all the mistakes they did we can simply say they aren't worth listening to. They proved only the fact that the gods are as human … as us"

Aizen snapped like burned when hearing her opinion "A god cannot be compared with a human"

Karin moved backwards like slapped by Aizen's penetrating glare. She was staying in a delicate equilibrium, barley sustaining her body on the bench, while Aizen was practically hovering over her form. The erratic beats of her heart were bumping against her chest, threatening to break it and she feared that Aizen heard them, because of the little space that barely existed between them.

On the other hand Aizen was irritated by what she just said regarding the equality of man and god, which was an aberration from his point of view. But when he saw her discomfort and their unusual closeness, he aborted the subject. Karin wasn't someone to be convinced of something she already believed and Aizen knew very well of this, so he just changed the topic by simply stating:

"Still these gods of yours seem really cruel"

Karin's fast beating heart didn't show any sign of stopping its irregular pulse, but she was able to keep a firm and serious face while smirking deviously at the man, even if he was still in her bubble.

"They aren't my gods … I do not believe in gods. They are the Olympians. You had never read the Legends of Olympus?" asked the girl, confronting him with mockery.

Aizen's ridiculous expression was enough of an answer and Karin could barely contain her laughter. Even if she knew Greek Mythology wasn't as well known as the Egyptian or the Japanese one, she was still very surprised by his lack of knowledge over the subject.

"Than let's go …" she said raising like an arc from the bench, happy that she had an excuse to recreate her personal space.

When he saw her fast reaction, the man raised an eyebrow and asked "What?"

"Let's go to the school's library to snatch a copy"

"Wha …"

But he didn't have the possibility to ask whatever he was about to, because Karin unceremoniously grabbed his arm and literally dragged him after her. It wouldn't have been an amusing sight if Aizen hadn't been twice as tall as Karin and less muscular. From the passer bys point of view a little girl was dragging his brother to buy candies.

One child even asked his mother with an innocent voice "Wha' is that man doin' mama?"

When he heard the question, Aizen snarled and stuck his heels in the ground, brutally stopping both of them. Karin tried to continue the trajectory, but her companion wasn't showing any sign of releasing the powerful blocking.

After two irritated groans and five attempts of plucking Aizen from his place, Karin gave up realizing that the forceful way wasn't working on the stubborn teenager.

She tried to hit him where the sun doesn't shine, but this didn't work either, because Aizen _gently_ grabbed her foot and slammed her, just as gently, in a tree. And over all this, he watched in utter amusement as she detached her face from the lumpy bark, pained moans erupting from her mouth every time a nerve was hit. After she was done with the painful task, Karin tuned around facing her interlocutor, who was busy smirking deviously at her.

Yet she was already use to his creepiness.

"I'm trying to get a book, you moron. Do you have to act like a retard all the time?" jumped Karin like burned.

"I am not …" answered Aizen, only to be interrupted by Karin yet again.

"Sorry" mimicked the girl a sad face "You do not act like a retard … you are one"

"I told you once and I'll tell you again, because it doesn't seem to get through your thick skull … I. am. not. a. retard. Ka. rin" he said emphasizing every syllable in a last attempt of trying to contradict Karin.

Every part of him was screaming swears and other obscene things at the woman, but he was compelled to refrain them, seeing that he had too many witnesses around him. A crime was out of the question therefore he was bond to listen to a bitchy woman that had the habit of pissing him off above anything else ever encountered. And he met many types of humans and shingami in his over 100 years of existence, yet none was like her, none had this annoying ability of …

However she was unapproachable in her decision "You are a retard, who happens to have an ego bigger than Himalaya" when she saw his unchanged expression, she asked instinctively, already guessing the answer "Please do tell me you know what Himalaya is?"

"It must be a pretty big thing judging only by your description" tried Aizen to make up for his unawareness.

"Oh god" groaned Karin face-palming her forehead as a gesture of desperation and total surrender in front of an unsolvable problem.

When he saw her reaction, Aizen felt like adding something, but anything seemed redundant, so he just tried the mockery "I don't understand all this melodrama"

"Himalaya is a mountain rage in Asia …" began Karin methodically with her stern voice, which was kept only for times like this, when her companions was being incredibly stupid.

"And?" interrupted the man, his question bringing a Kurosaki frown on Karin's face.

"Shut up and listen because it's common knowledge to know what makes the Himalayan Mountains so special"

Aizen wanted to criticize her attack, but he was stopped by the girl's pointed glare. As a result he kept his mouth shut, listening to whatever aberration she seemed to find so important about this human mountain. When she was sure Aizen won't interrupt her, Karin continued the geography lesson.

"The Himalayan mountain system contains the world's highest peaks, which includes the highest peak in the World, Everest. If I didn't impress you … I'll tell you that over 100 Himalayan mountains exceed 7200 meters and Everest has around 8848 above sea level, but its height differs in the specialty literature"

"And why is that?" asked Aizen more from boredom than curiosity.

Karin looked at him, trying to discover the reason of his question, but finally answered "Because from year to year the mountain is being eroded by the wind, water and other factors. Now let's go borrow some books from the library, because you obviously need them if you want to have at least a chance to finish high school"

Her companion didn't make any mischievous comment about what she just said and seemed to agree with her rushed conclusion. He stepped forward, urging Karin to follow him. They had a long way to go, so Karin reluctantly followed him not forgetting to sigh in irritation.

"If there is a highest place on Earth, can I presume it's a lowest place as well, right?"

Karin, who was walking silently behind him, raised her head until her orbs met the back of his neck. He wasn't facing her, but she had the impression she was being supervised closely by her companion. Not that she could blame him, but still it was highly unnerving and vexing. After another glance directed at Aizen's rigid figure, Karin said:

"Yes. It's called The Mariana Trench, but I don't know its exact depth … I remember it was around 11000 meters, but there were some meters in addition" she thought for a minute, searching for those missing digits while Aizen waited patiently "11035 meters below sea level"

"Hmmm …" sniffed Aizen still unimpressed by the large numbers.

Karin couldn't see his face, but she could easily read total boredom in his posture. The way he walked, the way he stood still like a rock and especially the way he talked were just some of the many attributes Karin was able to interpret in order to guess his state of spirit … and right now he was experiencing an acute state of annoyingness. She couldn't tell why, because as much as she wished to she couldn't read his complex mind.

"Look ... I don't want to bore you to death." this time she attracted Aizen's attention "We are not at school, so for this once my job ain't to irk you, k?"

He didn't answer, but Karin saw his apparent muscle relaxation. He may not communicate directly with her, but she could read his body like an open book and right now he was telling her to continue.

"If you have any questions ask them." said Karin seriously, bursting in a fit of laughter a second later.

This reaction made Aizen turn around, his brown eyes mirroring his utter confusion and irritation. He was lacking any knowledge and now Karin was laughing at him therefore he was ready to attack her with some well pointed sarcasm.

"Why are you laughing?"

Karin chuckled some more, not bothering to answer his request. He repeated the question this time with far more discontent hidden in his voice.

She still didn't give an answer to any of his previous requests, but her actions spoke louder than her laughter. Like a deer, Karin jumped in front of him and raised her hand, trying to grab the object that nested between his red locks. She was sure that her companion would have protested if she hadn't moved that swift and gentle, but she was wrong.

Aizen did notice her movement, but he was too dumbstruck to react in any way and if this wasn't enough, an acute smell of pine and appeals hit his nostrils stunning him completely. Meanwhile Karin took the somehow brownish flower that found shelter between two rebel strands and threw it away in a bush that was spreading its braches somewhere near them.

"I guess it's from that sheaf of weeds I threw at you" she said while checking for any other remains that might have been found in his hair.

Aizen was however in a total daze, not understanding a word she was speaking. He tried to clear his mind of the unwanted thoughts but they kept coming back more irritating and intense than before. Also he was unable to detach his lustful gaze from those rosy lips that kept tempting him with their innocent taste. And to taste such pureness … how much he wanted to let loose his wild desire.

Never in his life had he felt so intoxicated by someone's presence, and it was so sudden that it hit him like a tone of bricks leaving a perplexed teenager behind. He couldn't blame the hormones since his gigai was specially designed to lack any kind of need apart from nutrition, thirst and breathing. So the villain was in a peculiar situation and it was her fault all over again. First she's mocking him, then she's attacking him with invectives and other insults and in the end she's seducing him. What's a man supposed to believe after all this come and go?

And over all this shit she was talking and talking and he couldn't understand what she was telling and it scared him or something close, because the mighty Aizen cannot be scared of anything.

"All done" smiled Karin, after the close inspection concluded that his red locks were weed free.

She stepped back checking his appetence one last time. Seeing his fuzzy expression, Karin asked a hint of worry slipping in her tone "Are you ok?" but then realized that to be worried about a freak like Aizen wasn't a good thing, and added "Or a retard like you cannot concentrate for more than 10 minutes of conversation?" a smirk flowered on her lips.

The man was perplexed. How was she able to change her tone and her demeanor in a mere second? And over them all, she was smirking at him like a little devil ready for attack … and it seemed her favorite target was him. And now he realized that she wasn't seducing him in any way, she was just acting like herself.

"My concentration is fine, thank you very much. But I wanted to give you a break from too much thinking. I despise the scent of fried brain." calmly replied Aizen, hiding tumultuous thoughts behind his cool exterior.

"Oh! So you were the cause of the strange odor I felt in the air" counterattacked Karin her eyes sparkling like two diamonds in the fading sunlight.

Only then Aizen realized it had gotten pretty dark and the street lamps had been turned on, revealing the lonely avenue. No soul could be seen in sight and this fact gave a strange taste of serenity to the lonely landscape. After he was done mediating on whatever crossed his mind, his eyes focused on the woman before him.

She was distracted by the sunset and could barely register his presence. The red sun was sinking between two buildings its last rays blessing the sky with a graceful halo of light. Before the two teenagers (not that Azien can be called a teenager) the river was spreading its depth mirroring the whole town in the clear water of its stillness. It was an amazing sight, but the man could only stare at his companion; stare was an underestimation of the way he was looking at her, leer being a better word for it.

'_Dangerous … _' thought Aizen as his eyes took her whole appearance, lingering on her dark blue eyes '_You are dangerous because I want you so much …and what I want, I get_'

If at first he had believed she was just a temperamental being with a fiery character, now, her orbs that were reflecting a flame of maturity and stability, gave up a profound personality. All her volcanic exterior was being a cover for a deep and mature person. Who would have guessed?

"Let's go … at least now you have no flower in your hair, Samaki" and she turned around urging him to follow her trail.

He obeyed while she continued walking not looking behind her even once. It was enough that she heard his footsteps hit the pavement and his calm breathing echo in the still night.

After 10 minutes of silence (something he never experienced with her in their two weeks of bugging each other at the computer science lesson and the weekly soccer practice) Aizen felt like saying something, but he couldn't get his mouth to form the words. It was one of those silly times when everything feels awkward and you want to say something, but you're unable to do it.

"You like this goddess, Artemis" stated solemnly the man. His straight pose was being somehow amusing, but luckily they were alone.

This seemed to be a good topic, because Karin brightened up like a light bulb resembling the lamps they were bypassing.

"Well … yes." said Karin happily, as an old woman sneezed from a balcony "She's pretty interesting. And I think that the most appealing characteristic I found about her is her chastity vow"

When he heard Karin's serious statement, Aizen almost choked with his saliva, but only a miracle saved him from an embarrassing situation. Trying to sound calm and tranquil, the man finally asked:

"That's stupid … why would someone make such a useless vow"

"It's not stupid and she swore it because she was heart broken and thought that she'll never find love again, or at least in some versions. And if you want to know more, she wasn't the only one that swore she'll be a virgin for eternity" replied proudly Karin.

Aizen could only smirk at her strange reaction. He was ready to make some fun and since Karin was in the area and the only one capable of handling his rather pointed irony, she was his chosen target.

"Let me guess. You made one as well" his smirk angered her even more.

"No, you retard … I meant from the other gods. She wasn't the only one that did it. Her half sister, Athena the goddess of wisdom and Zeus's sister Hestia made the chastity vow as well"

She wanted to get over the subject quickly, because it was pretty uncomfortable to talk with a guy about virginity, maidenhood and stuff like that. It was her blame since she was the one that started the conversation so she was the one to end it.

"What about you … what do you believe about the gods?" asked rapidly Karin slowing down in order to wait for Aizen.

When he finally reached her, they both continued to walk in the same slow, yet firm pace. Karin kept a rather large distance between them installing her indispensable bubble, bubble that Aizen seemed to find annoying. He didn't say anything about it, but his face was twisted in an abnormal scowl.

"Stop with the glare" an equally irritated Karin threatened "If you keep doing that you'll get wrinkles"

He didn't listen to her _friendly advice_, keeping his previous expression on the face, more to annoy her than because he was feeling it. His forceful face was pretty much obvious, so Karin took this opportunity to elbow him in the gut with enough force to leave an ugly bruise but not nearly enough to knock him off his feet.

"What!" snapped angrily Aizen at her, trying to sound dangerous. He wasn't really trying to terrify anyone for a change, but he succeeded in scaring the shit out of a child that happened to pass them just in the moment of his snap.

Karin barely contained her laughter at his dumbstruck expression, when he had realized his big accomplishment.

"Really now … What do you believe about gods? In general" asked Karin again, ignoring the previous funny situation.

She waited patiently for his answer and when it came she wasn't surprised by its simplicity. It was a response she expected from someone like Aizen, She listened throughout his explanation, walking beside him silently.

"All creatures, humans are included, ought to believe in something bigger them themselves, a divinity, a god, angels; they have many names." he checked if his companion was still paying attention "Humans place their trust in someone stronger, tougher than them and he in return looks upper, knowing his flaws and weakness. And not being able to live without guidance, he seeks for it in a higher place. The cycle goes on and on. That is how all kings are born. That is how all Gods are born." He finished his discourse as another thought struck him.

'_But make no mistake. They all still abide to me. Because from this point onward, you will witness first hand the power of the god they foolishly placed their faith in. I will become that god they have no choice but to believe in.'_ the words he said to Shinji that time during the Winter War echoed in his head. The ever lasting memory was scrubbing his inner mind and he could only watch as the unfortunate events that lead to his demise were being rewound in his head over and over again.

Karin almost burst into a fit of laughter, but concluded their serious conversation with a well aimed "You are a Narcissistic god, Samaki"

Another silent 5 minutes passed and even if they were approaching their destination their pace was slowing down exponentially. None knew exactly why this was happening, but none asked anything either. After another 5 minutes, Karin, who was bored out of her mind, broke the ice.

"So, Samaki … apart from being a control freak that has some megalomania tendencies, what do you like to do in your free time?" asked the girl looking with curiosity at Aizen.

If he was amused by her insufferable language or statement he did a very good job in hiding it behind a curtain of indifference. Not that he was indifferent … overly annoyed was a better word for the feelings he was experiencing.

"I drink tea" snarled the man trying to sound serious, but failing miserably.

He was even tempted to strike her across the face, knowing that if he did so, her chances of surviving will be zero percent. He was really tempted to act on it when a strange noise, that was supposed to be laughter, assaulted his ears.

"Now you are creeping me out" she tried to say between her uncontrolled fits.

"Tea creeps you out?" asked Aizen looking incredulously at the black head "You're a strange girl"

"I thought I'm not a girl" replied Karin.

"If that's what you believe …" smirked evilly her companion.

"Stop interpreting my words" almost yelled Karin "It's … like cheating"

Her pace fastened up and Aizen sighted before matching his own speed with hers. She was glaring at him and he seemed to do the same. Of course his glance was more elegant and not so bluntly pointed like Karin's, but it reflected a malicious intent.

They finally reached the school library, where an old woman, the librarian, welcomed them with opened arms. Her happiness literally asphyxiated Karin and she would have done the same thing with Aizen if it weren't for Karin's helping hand. After a proper introduction Karin gave her a list of 5 books, one of them being _Legends of Olympus_ while the others were unknown to him.

"It's almost the closing time, but don't worry you came just on edge." Said the woman, searching frantically for one of the titles "Found it" she exclaimed, appearing a moment later with a pile of dusty old books.

Meanwhile Aizen was studying the room. It couldn't be described as big or spacey, but it had an aura of intellectuality and absolute calm around it. For a moment it reminded him of the big library in Soul Society, but it wasn't that large and the materials stored there could barely cover one percent of the ones in Seretei.

"Thank you" said Karin gratefully to the woman.

She responded politely and after she wrote down who borrowed the books, she left excusing herself.

"Here" she handed him 4 of the books "Take them, read them and after you're done give them back" she felt like adding "Usually the deadline is two weeks, but I know her and she won't mind if you keep them till the end of the semester"

The man nodded and finally asked "What are these?"

Of course Karin sweat dropped and answered rhetorically "Books"

Aizen's eyebrow twitched as a sign of annoyance at their obvious misunderstanding. He should have known better than let a sarcastic woman interpret his question.

"I meant what are these books about?" rephrased the man, hoping for a non-sarcastic response, but not believing he will get it.

And for the first time he got it:

"This is a book of general geography and this is of history" and she pointed at the respective titles "This is the one I promised you, Legends of Olympus and this is something I think you'll like"

Aizen read the title, _The lost city of Atlantis_, and concluded that it had an interesting name … an interesting name indeed. When his brown eyes rose from the book's cover, Karin was already at the door, fingering the handle.

"Look" she began nervously "It's kind of late for me, so I have to go home or my father will have a metaphoric heart attack"

"Metaphoric?" asked incredulously the tall man; it was hard to believe that someone could have a metaphoric heart attack, but anything coming from Karin was possible.

"Believe me. You do not know my father" she said opening the door quickly "He is a total freak"

"Guess you are a dead ringer for your father" instinctually replayed Aizen.

"Asshole" snarled Karin, sprinting throughout the door "I hope you'll get lost on your way back!" heard Aizen her fading yell, or roar. He was unable to distinguish between the two, because of the strident tone she sometimes used when being pissed off.

Her rushed steps were hitting methodically the tiles, but after a while even that sound faded in the distance.

'_Now … this was far more interesting than my date with the Kurosaki bitch_' thought Aizen as he followed Karin outside. Even if she have left for at least 2 minutes, he could still feel her smell in the air, on the walls and everywhere around him, intoxicating his being with its inviting aroma. His long fingers clenched the book spine in a tight hold, not strong enough to break it, but enough to feel the thin paper swish. His attraction towards her was the least of his problems and one he didn't need right now. Karin was, from Aizen's point of view, an _unwanted lust_.

She was defying him with every word that escaped her unleashed mouth … On the other hand, her Kurosaki friend was plain boring.

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"_So Aizen-san do you like to cook?" asked the brown haired twin "Because I love to cook"_

_Aizen tried to smile and answer as __**honestly**__ as possible "Yes. I love to cook" _

_His (fake) smile melted Yuzu in that instant and her feet transformed in a squashy little jelly. Luckily she was staying in a comfy chair, checking the menu, so the danger of losing her equilibrium because of Aizen's sweet talk was minim._

_They were occupying a table at a cheap restaurant in the north __part of Karakura, the one place Karin didn't think of, and were deciding what to take. Yuzu chose some complicated dish, he never heard of, while he decided that French fries would do the trick. He wasn't all specialized in the earth cuisine and he was forced to give a quick excuse to Yuzu. He said that he had a stomachache, which wasn't so far from the actual truth._

_And then the hell began._

_She talked about every specialty from every fucking country. She said that the Indian food is stinky but overly delicious. She might have said something about China and its fine kitchen, but he was too busy counting the seconds to pay attention to her gibberish. Then she began with Taiwanese food explaining every single detail like they were the masters of cooking._

_Finally after the long introduction she said something bad about tofu, which happened to be his one and only favorite type of food._

_After this profanity that involved his impeccable taste, Aizen ignored her completely; the best part being that she didn't realize it. Yuzu was so engrossed in her story about how simple is to make sushi if you use some secret receipt that she didn't realize her date wasn't listening to a word she was babbling._

_In the end after she finished with all the countries possible and impossible they left. But guess what__? On their way home, Yuzu remembered that the British cuisine had been forgotten from her looong list._

_Another boring hour about UK … He paid attention when she said something about tea, but after that … no._

_Finally they reached her house, but for his safety Aizen gave a quick excuse about fearing how her parents will react, and Yuzu seemed to understand his feelings. Not that he feared Isshin, but her brother wasn't someone he was eager to meet … for obvious reasons._

_She left and he walked in the park where he coincidently met Karin._

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Life was becoming more interesting and eventful.

Aizen sighed and made a mental note to drink a hot, steamy cup of tea when he gets home.

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This is a chapter I loved to write. As a matter of fact I love mythologies in general. The Egyptian and Greek are my favorites, but I read some Norse Mythology as well. I remember that I began a thorough research about Egyptian gods after I saw Yu-gi-oh. Imagine my displeasure when I found out that the only real fact/name in that anime is "Ra". Where is Isis, Osiris, Anubis, Hathor, Horus and damn it Seth and his crazy goddess wife/sister Nephthys; and what's with the gods and their tendency of marrying their siblings. It's called incest people *smirk*. I ate sushi once, when I was on holiday in Canada and it was marvelous. Too bad you cannot find something like that in my undeveloped country

"**Narcissistic god"** is Harukai's nickname for Aizen. She gave me permission to use it *smirk* I think it's incredibly funny and it fits him.

Aizen 'the fox' and Yuzu 'little red riding hood' is a good comparison Yankeegurl *laugh*

Can't you guess Liliv00 *smirk* Yuzu wanted to make Karin act more feminine and maybe the snow white captain wanted to see Karin act like a girl for once.

And I do believe that the relationship Hinamori and Toshiro have is strictly platonic … they are acting like brothers for god's sake … and I had already told you my opinion about incest. Sorry for any hitsuhina fan I might have upset. It was not my intention.

I wasn't pleased by the last chapter so I published this one earlier … I hope you do not mind XD


	9. It's just the beginning

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

This chapter had been betaed by Cittyno2 (thank you very much). If you find any mistakes it's her fault (not mine). I wish you pleasant reading and sorry for a short and lame chapter.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 9: It's just the beginning**

_"__Today is my birthday … and I'm 13. Goat Chin keeps on mumbling something about me being an adult and having children and of course Ichigo is beating the crap out of him … nothing new in our family._

_But … I cannot be happy._

_It has been a year and two months since Toshiro left for that business in Soul Society and I still __have gotten no visit, no letter, no nothing. I thought it would not take more than 3 months, but 6 months have passed, then one year and in the end, I gave up any hope. I want to tell Ichigo how much I miss Toshiro, but I cannot do it because the thought of confessing my love is impossible. I was not created for a simple task like expressing my inner feelings or anything too deep … but sometimes I have the sensation that I'm too profound in some aspects, like love, hate, understanding, passion, but because of my rough exterior I'm unable to share them with anyone._

_With Toshiro I had this opportunity … I guess that's one of the reasons why I have fallen in love with him; being an amazing soccer player was just as important … and let's not forget his status as a shinigami captain, I'm such a hypocrite._

_If I'm still able to make fun, it means I'll get over it. I'm not weak …and in time this strange feeling will disperse__ into thin air. And who knows … maybe I'll find another moron to fall in love with._

_Preferably not a one sided love like it was with Toshiro._

_Was it a one sided love? … If he left me so easily, I guess it was._

_Jinta is being an ass because of it and keeps on telling me that I'm so ugly that I scared the poor boy and even worse is that I have begun to believe him. I'm not beautiful like Yuzu, I'm not a shinigami like Ichigo and I'm not capable of goofing off like dad … wait a second … scratch the last part with my dad,__ he's not a good example._

_Really … I think I'll be okay …_

_And next time I'll try to fall for a normal human. Not a shinigami and especially not a captain …_"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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Karin left the library dashing towards the Kurosaki household. It wasn't a long way so in 10 minutes she was able to see the red roof of the house. She already knew that her father would go ballistic and kick whoever dared to rape his little cactus, but truth to be told she wasn't giving a fuck about his so called parental love. He was being a bother in the literal sense of the word, and Karin was sick of all this shit.

She was tempted to try cornering Yuzu for another discussion, but she appeared to be so happy with Aizen's date and all, that she dropped the idea. If her sister was happy, so be it. She'll keep an eye on Samaki, but discreetly (because she is such a discreet person) and follow his every move … she'll be like his shadow.

Her mind drifted at Aizen again. It was the fifth time in an interval of 10 freaking minutes, so if she did the math she was thinking of him every 4 minutes.

'_2 minutes … Damn it. I'm incapable of doing a simple division and I'm in the 10-th grade. God damn these hormones, this teenage stupid-ness and …the fucking impotent piece of shit Aizen Samaki_' thought Karin hitting a rock that dared to stand in her way. It was dumb luck it was 9 and a half and no foot of human could be seen in sight.

And the worst part in this insupportable situation was that she wasn't all obsessive with anything … apart from Yuzu, Ichigo, maybe her father could be added in the equation and a little of Toshiro, but just a little. The fear of feeling for someone else anything but friendship or hate was a pain in the ass … one she wasn't eager to repeat. There were times when she felt hate and repugnance towards him, but there were times when friendship was not enough to describe her inner thinking.

Finally reaching the house, Karin pressed the door handle, knowing that on the other side Isshin was waiting for his beloved cactus. Next time her father dared to compare her with the spiny plant she'll shove one up his ass in order to show him the difference. Then he would understand that no matter how much he wanted to make fun of her _interesting_ character, the coin will flit and he will flit as well … in the toilet or in the wall; his choice.

'_I don't understand … sometimes I'm scared of him and sometimes … I feel like I did with Toshiro_' thought Karin, not daring to open the door '_I don't want to repeat the same thing that happened with Toshiro. I don't want to be left alone for the second time_' she looked back checking if someone followed her '_No … I'll never fall for a creep like him_'

"My beautiful cactus is finally home!" squealed the ex-captain when Karin decided that opening the door couldn't be so bad. She regretted it a moment later.

Her father began the speech he usually used in this situation, changing some aspects, but keeping the base intact.

"It's almost 10 … where have you been?" she cracked a knuckle "I was worried about your innocence." this time she flexed her biceps "What if someone saw you and dared to touch you in an improper way!" her right fist was ready to shut him up forever "You are my cactus and I love you, my not so beautiful daughter …"

Karin couldn't contain her arising anger, so she grabbed a cactus that rested on the window still and shoved the plant directly in his gaped mouth. The target was hit and Isshin stumbled back while big tears were forming in his black eyes. He tried to take it out or something, but the thorns were scratching his fragile esophagus so he gave up.

"This is a CACTUS!" she screamed punching him in the gut "I AM NOT!"

Isshin would have defended himself in front of his not so sensible daughter, if his oral cavity hadn't been abused by the spiny bush in such a dreadful way. He tried to say something but the sounds that inevitably erupted from his mouth were moans or groans of pain.

"Did the cat eat your tongue?" asked Karin, the sarcasm being evident in her voice.

Ichigo chuckled but didn't try to help his incapacitated father. It was quite normal for the man to be in a predicament that involved his violent daughter or delinquent son and over this, he saw it coming for a mile, but still didn't want to move a finger. It was his fault for saying those stupid things that inevitably angered Karin.

"More like the cactus" said the older sibling, sipping noisily from the soup "But he has a valid point of view. It is 9:45 and not an hour proper for coming home. Yuzu had gone to bed for at least 10 minutes, and you barely came home, Karin" he turned around facing his disobedient sister "I guess you understand my problem, right?"

Karin scowled at her brother and was forced to bit her tongue in a failed attempt of stopping some pretty awful words from coming out. She finally decided to leave the courtesy for later, when she won't be so annoyed by this whole situation that included Aizen, her father and her irksome sibling and attack her family with some well aimed invectives.

"No … I do not understand your problem Ichigo? What I do is my business and you shouldn't butt in it like a freaking idiot" She was too angered by the situation to even try stopping it "And don't you dare get all protective with me, because I'm tired of it"

Isshin tried to intervene between the arguing siblings, but Ichigo was faster in his resolution.

"I'm protecting you because you are my sister and I don't want to see you hurt" he said, realizing that it was kind of cliché on his part to state such an obvious thing.

"So … it's the same thing with Yuzu, right?" attacked Karin.

She was pretty shaken up by her contradictory, but interesting discussion she previously had with Aizen, so her nerves were on edge making the whole situation worse. If her father had tried to say something in order to stop them, they didn't hear it, or maybe didn't want to hear it, being too preoccupied by their own issues.

"Of course" replied Ichigo angrily.

"Then why do you leave for weeks, even if you know she'll cry like crazy after you?"

She had a valid point, but Ichigo wasn't easy to defeat nor in a fight nor in a discussion … the exception of this rule being Rukia, the only girl that could snap Ichigo right back on track. But since Rukia was missing, Ichigo mumbled under his breath, hoping that his sister won't hear:

"I'm not the only one that makes Yuzu cry"

If Karin was annoyed before Ichigo's stupid reply, after it she was threatening to go into a state of absolute vexation. She wanted to say something, to jump on her brother and stuff his brain back in his head, but … she decided to leave it like this. She made enough bad blood between her and Ichigo to last for some time.

"Good night dad …" she waved in his direction, trying to cover the sorrow that took over her whole being "Don't worry …I'm not hungry. I guess I lost my appetite" and she climbed the stairs towards the room she shared with Yuzu.

The worst part in her fights with Ichigo was that they tended to spread on a long period of time … usually from one to three months. They weren't as virulent as her hassles with Yuzu but they were just as bad.

She reached the door and squeezed inside silently, hoping not to wake up her sister. Luckily, Yuzu was sleeping peacefully on her bed, from time to time a snore escaping her opened mouth. Karin smiled softly at her sister's fragile frame, but her attention snapped back at the inviting bed. She undressed rapidly trying to do it as quietly as possible.

After she was done with the process of changing in the PJ, Karin slipped under the covers and closed her eyes.

Two minutes later Isshin opened the door checking his daughters, only to find both of them fast asleep.

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When he came home, Aizen was received by an enthusiastic man that asked him very impolitely if he fucked her. His adoptive father was demonstrating his animalistic behavior and he seemed to be a pig of the lowest kind.

"No" answered reticently the boy "I have some books to read, so if you could excuse me" tried Aizen to reason with the creature … but it was in vain.

"Pussy"

'_Motherfucker_' thought Aizen while carrying the books in his room '_I cannot wait to kill you_'

Only after he shut the door behind him, Aizen let loose a wave of swears …

Finally he decided that the creature didn't deserve this trouble and opened the book Karin had recommended. It had an interesting cover, but his attention didn't linger on it, being distracted by the first chapter … Gaia, the primordial Earth - goddess

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The night cleared its sky and morning came with another boring school day. The blue cloudless sky was foretelling a beautiful day with plenty of sun and heat. It was the end of September, but even so, the dog-days were on the agenda; they tended to leave a sour taste behind that was being accompanied by a rainy weather.

The hours began in their usual lazy, but firm rhythm and time flew by …

For the first time in his two weeks of school, Aizen was waiting impatiently for the computer science private lesson. He was pacing in the small and tight laboratory making the space look even smaller than it already was.

After their last encounter, that was the day before, Aizen read the whole book and now he wanted to discuss some aspects that bugged him; and since he couldn't discuss them with his adoptive family, because they were incredibly stupid, or another classmate, because they were just as stupid, the only left option was Karin. At least he was 100% sure she will be a good partner and she will know what involved the book … after all she was the one that had recommended it.

The door screeched, screaming for a drop of oil on its old hinges.

"You are late" snapped angrily the man.

"Sorry … I had to …" began the smiling boy, as he closed the door behind him.

Aizen didn't listen to anything he might have said, because he was too busy staring throughout the window. His classmate, who happened to be the class representative, continued the erratic speech and apologized at least 5 times, not noticing that Aizen didn't bother to listen to a word. Andy didn't say anything about Karin, believing that she had informed him of the change that took place in the schedule, but stated some unimportant aspects regarding their lesson.

When he finished all he had to say, Andy invited Aizen on a chair.

"Where is Karin?" asked the man, before talking his usual seat. He tried to smile and succeeded in fooling his computer partner at least for a short period of time.

Andy looked perplexed at him, but then identified the issue "She didn't tell you about switching the lessons" he corrected himself "It's not really a switch. She asked me to supervise your computer science lessons" a bright smile appeared on the representative's face "Don't worry. She's not very good at teaching things and with her violent temper … I wonder how you survived with her"

"It was … ok" said shyly Aizen, trying to look genuinely happy with the switch "But like you said … not a bright teacher and sometimes with fits of anger"

Andy smiled making a short statement while the computer loaded its background programs "She's pretty energetic, but if I were to be honest with you Samaki-san, she knows her subject better than me"

"What do you mean by that?"

Aizen was curious to know what did the boy thought about the soccer team captain. And he also wanted some extra information regarding the fire creature that got his attention so thoroughly. In another words Aizen was searching for this knowledge in order to know her as a whole being. Who said that being in the center of attention is a good thing?

Andy laughed a little, but answered, "Your soccer captain is very apt at almost anything"

Aizen raised an eyebrow not understanding the statement.

"She is quite smart and knows a little something from every possible field" explained the boy "but from what I've heard she loves soccer, computer science and ancient history"

This thing left Aizen being uncertain. This is why she knew things that were not related and had almost nothing in common, like soccer and mythology.

"Okay tell me what was the last thing you studied with Karin" asked Andy.

"Office Word …"

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One hour later, in Soul Society the meeting Renji announced to the Substitute Shinigami was beginning.

It was 3 o'clock sharp when the Captains and their lieutenants were preparing to enter through the large doors of the 1-st Division. The only exceptions were Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rukia and Ichigo, who were staying outside waiting to be invited in. Due to their low rank in Gotei 13 or lack of rank in Ichigo's case, they could only watch the scene run before their eyes.

Finally Renji made a head sign, and they joined the meeting. The shinigami elite gathered in the same room could only foretell that something bad had happened and Ichigo feared they will approach his sister's problem. Luckily for him the important matters they had to discuss weren't related to his family or friends, but this didn't mean they weren't urgent.

All of them were watching Yamamoto and as always, Ichigo was the first to ask the question that bugged every single soul present in the room.

"Why did you call us here Old Man?"

Kuchiki Byakuya, the 6-th Division Captain, sniffed at the usual impoliteness shown by the orange haired boy in the presence of a highly respected officer like the Captain Commander. He was about to protest over this fact, when the old Captain's deep and strong voice echoed in the room silencing all of them completely.

"Aizen had escaped from Muken"

It came down like a brick and hit hard. A multitude of whispers were being heard in the room, and even some erratic gasps from the lieutenant of the 2-nd squad, who was having an outburst of fear. Hinamori said nothing, but Matsumoto who was just beside her could clearly see how artificially marble white was the girl's face. The busty woman tried to comfort her friend, but she was too scared to do so.

On the other hand, the chibi white haired captain didn't lose time with whispering questions or answering some of the ones that passed beside his ear; he asked loudly so the whole group could hear it:

"But how? It's the lowest level of prison … nobody had ever escaped from it"

Every single head turned towards the Captain Commander waiting for an answer. They were all eager to know what happened and how the said man did escape from the most dangerous and well guarded prisons. They all wanted to ask other questions, like when, where or way, but this one was what they had in common … to know how.

The bald captain coughed. He didn't have a hard time concentrating, but this was one request he couldn't answer because of a vast gap in his knowledge. All captains and theirs subalterns were watching him waiting for something he couldn't give them.

"We do not know"

More whispers erupted in the room, enveloping everything in an aura of mystery. A feeling of stress and fear spread like a cover over the group of top shinigami.

"But I sent my lieutenant to find out" continued the man ignoring the frightened spikes of reiatsu that didn't disperse after his, so called, comforting answer.

Zaraki was smirking like a madman, while the others were showing concerned faces. On the other hand Ichigo wasn't saying a single word, deciding to thing through the situation. It was unusual for the orange haired boy to study some aspect, but Aizen seed to be the exception in this case.

"Who discovered the disappearance?" asked Byakuya, seizing the rumors for one second.

"Yes" agreed the 8-th squad lieutenant Ise Nanao as she arranged the glasses that threatened to slip from her pointy nose "It's not like someone visits him in that place"

A chuckle was heard from somewhere behind them and the whole group turned around watching a figure detach from one of the shadows. It was a tall, but slim person with a short sword that had a light blue handle with some strange shaped rings around it, looking vaguely familiar … if they looked closer it was resembling an eight of steel around a wakizashi. The man was wearing a shinigami uniform, but his identity was still a mystery since his face was completely covered by a dark shade.

"I discovered Aizen's disappearance" his advancement continued until his wide foxy grin was being observed by the whole community "And knowing Capta'n Aizen, he's probably makin' some horrific plan in which Sou' Society is destroyed"

The moment of silence that installed in the room after the stranger's face was in plain sight had been broken by Toshiro's voice. It was an icy tone, but not upset … the snow white captain was clearly surprised by whoever was the person.

"… I … Ichi … Ichimaru Gin …" stuttered an astonished Toshiro.

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Sorry. This was a short chapter, but I have an excuse. I was … busy. I was with my mother in a computer science camp and I barely had time to write this little chappy, but here I come.

Well … I think that brothers should fight; it's healthy in any relationship. Sorry for the cliffhanger.

And yes Hakkuchi, all of them are acting like idiots, but remember that you see the whole view, while they can see only around them … from their perspective what happened is perfectly normal: Ichigo chasing Toshiro from the human world and so on. And you have no idea how dangerous this attraction is *evil smirk* Ohh … Of course I remember that omake. Aizen's love for tea is mythical *laugh*

And you'll find out Toshiro's real feelings for Karin …


	10. Never meant to happen

I do not own Bleach… :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

This chapter had been beta-ed by Cittyno2 (thank you very much). If you find any mistakes it's her fault (not mine). I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 10: Never meant to happen**

"_There are some things that are never meant to happen. Like falling for your history teacher or making a rock star fall for you or even … loving an ugly monster that turns into a shiny prince after a magical kiss._

_But defying all common sense, they do happen. These things really do happen in out screwed up world, but we are too normal and t__oo stuck in our precious reality to notice them._

_Have you ever seen a dog sleeping peacefully with a cat by its side? Think. It was that meant to happen?_

_No … it wasn't, because they have been arch enemies from earth's creation and they will remain until its end. It's an unwritten law, carved by time, wind and experience in the human soul… carved by an unmerciful creature that thought only of rules and not exceptions._

_Does that make the dog a traitor for its specie, or the cat is to blame? _

_Why do we have to ask whose blame is it? Why do we seek a culprit for an exception? Why do we jump at conclusions with a detached attitude, when there is clearly another solution for the problem? Why do we search so desperately for something to blame, when there is nothing to blame?_

_The answer is simple and ironically, it reminds me of Aizen's hypocrisy; but only now I'm able to see the truth behind his words. I judged him for this, but he was right._

_We do all these absurd things and we make our fellows feel like cornered beasts, even if they are rational beings, because we are humans. We are humans … and not gods. And we are egocentric beings…but this is our only excuse._

_We were never meant to happen … but we did._

_If a dog has an excuse, I have none. If a cat has the possibility to state its cause, you do not._

_Why?_

_Because we are not a cat and a dog. We are two individuals … we are Kari__n and S_ō_suke and unlike those brainless animals we had the chance to stop it, but we didn't._

_We were never meant to love each other, but we did …_"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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"… I …Ichi … Ichimaru Gin …" stuttered an astonished Toshiro.

Nobody expected the sudden appearance of the ex captain traitor of Soul Society and previous partner of Aizen; but above them all, they weren't expecting him there, because he had been declared deceased by the 4th Squad just after Aizen had been imprisoned. Everyone had been informed of the casualties the Winter Was left behind. Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tousen, former captains of Gotei 13 along with the mighty Espada and their Fraccións were definitely proclaimed dead and 6 feet under.

"Hello captain', lieutenants and … others" said the man, his lips drawing the same old foxy simile.

He looked the same, apart from the missing captain Haori.

Ichigo was the first to snap out of it and his eyes narrowed studying the tall man and his strange appearance. Maybe he was checking if Gin wasn't a trick of mind, or a clone of some sort, but when he realized that the person in front of him was real, his attention switched on another aspect. He asked the one thing that was on everyone's mind:

"Weren't you dead?"

"Nop … Wh' would I be de'd?" Inquired the man, tilting his head in order to show his curiosity, being unable to do express it through his _closed_ eyes "I'm not de'd Ichigo"

The 4th Squad Captain, Unohana Retsu, coughed dangerously and her creepy smile attacked Ichimaru's fading grin. It was a silent fight of dominance over who was supposed to speak and it ended only when the healer turned around addressing an answer to the expecting public.

"Ichimaru had been in a coma for the last 5 years" the smile disappeared from her beautiful features, being replaced by a scowl that looked even more fearsome than her famous smile "We had to keep it a secret because of …his doubtable past and multitude of Shinigami that had a grudge against him"

"Yo'mean my former relationship with Aizen?" Asked Gin, smirking widely demonstrating that some things never change.

"I meant you being his underling "said Unohana using her soft and caring voice, making the verbal attack look more perilous.

"Ohh …underlin' " he made a short break, thinking of something "and by Soul Reapers that may hav' a grudg' against me …?" He continued, making a short eye contact, without opening them, with Rukia and her angered big brother.

"The only one with a bigger enemy list is Aizen himself" sputtered Nanao.

Gin pouted, but nobody seemed to notice his cute face, being busy with a contradictory discussion.

"This will be a long day" stated The Captain Commander.

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After school was finally over, Karin took a shortcut through the park admiring the beautiful flowers arrangements that were coloring the gray city-like dirty atmosphere. The upcoming autumn was going to wither them soon enough, so she took a rose bud from a bush. It was a beautiful white rose, symbolizing purity and innocence. Yuzu had once told her that when a man gives you a bouquet of white roses it's like he would tell you he's worthy of you love.

Was there someone worthy of her love?

She sighed thinking of Toshiro again. After so much time she was still unable to forget the white haired captain and his indisputable charm.

Around her a bunch of kids were jumping happily and some of them were yelling for their mothers. The park looked the same … crazy old men playing chess on the rotten wood benches and mothers chasing their disrespectful children … nothing had changed.

Usually Karin would have gone straight home, but she was somehow too melancholic to do so, which could clearly be demonstrated by her philosophic way of thinking. Therefore she left the path and went through the copper yellowish trees stepping softly on the carpet of dead leaves. The white rose was hanging between two back strands of hair, making an interesting contrast with her raven hair color and dark blue eyes.

When she came on the other side, exactly where she stayed with Aizen the day before, Karin was tempted to turn around and dash home, but something stopped her from doing so.

She observed that most of the benches were occupied by couples kissing and switching saliva between them with a fervor that astonished the young girl. She saw that in a far corner of the alley a woman was reading a book, but form that distance she wasn't able to distinguish its title. Somewhere close to her position a red haired boy was tying his shoes. Nobody familiar …

… Rewind … A boy with red hair that happened to have the same spiky hair style Samaki had …

Deciding that nothing bad could happen, she got closer to the tall bent figure studying his athletic appearance.

"Samaki?" asked Karin when she was close enough to be heard.

The subject of her attention turned around, but she wasn't welcomed by Aizen's sly brown eyes, but by a pair of light blue eyes that watched her with indifference.

"Sorry" smiled Karin, excusing herself for the misunderstanding "I mistook you for someone else"

The boy raised an eyebrow at her antiques and couldn't help himself, but ask with a tone filled with pride and disgust.

"And you know someone that resembles me?" He smirked "That's a first"

Karin studied his beautiful figure silently, deciding if he was being an ass or a pig. If he was a pig, that only meant he was being a beautiful pig. She changed the direction, trying to create as much space between them as possible. Suddenly Aizen's unusual behavior seemed normal in comparison to this guy's inhuman ego and his awful personality.

After two rapid steps, Karin slowed down, thinking that this wasn't her way of behaving when someone dared to mock her. She would never let a stupid bastard make fun of her; she had too much Kurosaki blood in her veins to do so.

But then Aizen was an exception of this rule, because counting how many times he had scoffed her vast knowledge and boyish appearance the number should be larger than two digits. As a result she promised she won't shut up and accept others offending words and invectives.

"Asshole" she yelled turning around abruptly "You think you're such an Adonis"

The boy took her statement literally, his lack of knowledge being mirrored in his so called intelligent counterattack.

"Don't you dare compare me with this boyfriend of yours!" His face was hilarious all wrinkled and serious, like a ken doll trying to make others believe he's smart "And he must be ugly as hell. After all who would be fit for an ugly bitch like you, but an equally ugly bastard?"

A boy and a girl entangled in a passionate kissed were forced to stop the intense interaction because of a sudden burst of uncontrolled laughed. They weren't the only ones that did so, but being the closest they were the loudest.

"At least I'm not stupid" said Karin, while a smirk decorated her features "And by the way … Adonis ain't my boyfriend. And I don't think it ever existed in our reality, but good luck with your grades my friend" and she turned around raising her middle finger being careful to give a full view of her magnificent digit to the spectators "You will need all the luck in the world to make up for your crass incompetence"

She didn't wait for an answer, but she vaguely heard a boy saying something about "You are the biggest idiot ever" but apart from that nothing.

Next time a man dares to make fun, she'll castrate him from the roots, Samaki being included. Too bad he seemed to be a worthy adversary. Still, she decided to find a way around his defense and just because the last kick in the nuts didn't work the way she planned it didn't mean she'll give up.

He was very perceptive when fast movement was involved and she could bet he had previous martial art training. If it wasn't marital art … it was kendo. She wasn't able to make a difference between them (apart from the fact that kendo is practiced with a sword) because she was never inclined to study any of them. Karin could kick a guy's ass in a millisecond and that was as important as anything. Who cared what style of combat she used if in the end she kicked royal ass.

A gust of wind passed through the leaves, reminding Karin that she was still in the park.

Probably Yuzu was already home, preparing some weird new dish, never cooked by anyone, but because she was the kitchen genius she'll probably make it edible. She just wished Yuzu won't do any Indian food, because last time she did, the whole first floor was unusable for two days.

Karin continued the walk, stepping aimlessly on the gray pavement. She turned 90 degrees and followed a path carved in the ground that was going right through the middle of the forest. The green crowns of the oldest trees were covering the sun, so not even a slim ray of light could go through its thick surface. It was a peaceful place that inspired serenity and she knew that here the chance of being disturbed by stupid people or overjoyed children was zero point 1 percent.

Karin studied the cover of green that spread over her head and saw a bird that was seeking desperately for the warm sunlight. Its search was in vain … because it was no place where it could escape from the trap naturally created by the trees.

"Argh!" exclaimed Karin when she painfully hit a tree trunk "Damn it!"

She swore when her feet slipped on the cover of wet dead leaves and she felt herself going backwards due to the inertia force. Luckily something grabbed her arm, stabilizing her balance. She was a little dizzy after the experienced trauma, but she could clearly recognize that a human hand had saved her from a rather painful fall. Black spots were crossing her vision but long fingers squeezed her arm slightly.

Only then she realized that no matter how you look at it trees do not have hands, do not have legs and clearly they lack a trunk. She didn't hit a trunk. Her body had collided with a man's torso. It was a hard torso since it was able to knock her off her feet, literally.

"Sorry" she apologized "I didn't expect to …" but her eyes made contact with a pair of well known brown irises "… see you here Samaki"

The grip on her arm tightened, this time bringing discomfort on her face. Aizen didn't seem to realize in what uncomfortable situation was Karin, but nor did he care. He was smiling seductively at the girl whose height barely reached over his elbow. The thought of releasing the strong grip didn't cross his mind, his fingers digging painfully into the soft flesh of her arm.

"Do you like to stalk me, Samaki?" Snarled Karin between clenched teeth.

"Why would I stalk you, Karin?" asked Aizen, smiling softly

The girl growled, trying to shake off the invading hand. She ignored the coolness that spread on her body and inside her veins through the forceful touch of his fingers against her heated skin. She tried to step back, but again Aizen was preventing her from doing so.

'_Damn this guy is powerful_' thought Karin as she struggled some more.

"Let go of my arm" commanded Karin

"I didn't hear the please" remarked the man, his eyes mirroring something hidden deeply inside them "Until I hear the please, you won't go anywhere" threatened Aizen, bringing her even closer to his body.

"You'll hear a please from me when pigs will grow wings and fly" stated Karin, being able to keep her cool, even squeezed against Aizen's shoulder.

Meanwhile the man sniffed her hair, being careful not to attract her volcanic attention; he was degusting the sweet aroma of her being and the white rose hanged between her black strands was making it even more delightfully delicious.

It would be so easy to trip her; just encircle her leg and pull it from under her … and when she would be lounged on the carpet of leaves, all he would have to do was to show her what a man was capable of doing. And his lust was big enough to act upon it without reservation; he longed her with too much obsession to not act. They were alone in a place that was being frequented only by Karin and where anyone but her was rarely seen. So everything was in his advantage.

"Aizen" sputtered Karin "Next time I'm not going to ask"

Her voice was so serious and sprinkle with that threatening tone that made Aizen stir in anticipation. She wasn't scared one bit by his closeness and it seemed like this close proximity was encouraging her in standing up to him.

"Really?"

"Aizen" threatened Karin.

'_Stubborn woman_' thought Aizen

The man sighed as he loosened the grip on her arm. She stepped back immediately after she felt his hand leave her skin.

"Why did you come here?" asked Karin after she was at a safe distance "Did you stalk me?"

When he heard her questions Aizen could only smirk. She was always too shrewd and if he were to answer honestly to her questions it would sound like 'I came here to fuck you senselessly' and 'Yes I followed the trail of your reiatsu', but none of these answers were available in this case, so he decided to take the easy way out.

"I came to give you the book and no … Why would I stalk someone with a debatable gender"

Karin remembered her vow, but in that particular moment she was too annoyed to put it into practice.

"I told you yesterday that the book is from the library and after you finish it, you should give it back … to the fucking library" she snarled "Or you are too retarded to notice that a library means a place from where you borrow books?"

Karin seemed to forget that she was alone with a creep, surrounded only by trees and wild forest and did I say she was alone with the biggest creep ever?

Aizen raised an eyebrow "I am not a retard" he straightened his pose "So stop speaking trash about me"

"If this trash is true …"began Karin, but was stopped by a terrifying glare send by Aizen in her direction "You know what … I don't care"

And she turned around, trying to find the path that was sure to get her home in 5 minutes. She knew this forest like the back of her hand, because whenever she felt alone or abandoned by her friends or family she would stroll in this forest. Yuzu said it was a waste of time and energy, but Karin always found shelter and comfort under the rich crowns of the oaks. Sometimes she would find shelter in the oak, literally.

With the help of her muscular body, she would easily climb on the lower branches, until she would find a good place to rest on. Then her head would lean against the tree trunk and sometimes sleep would envelop her in its smooth embrace.

"What about our computer crap?" said Aizen, walking her up from the beautiful dream.

The girl stopped on her tracks, being drawn back in reality. She was still deciding if what she had head in Aizen's tone was accurate, or not, because Karin could swear that Samaki was being nostalgic over the private lessons.

She eyed him as her lips formed the question that struggled to get outside "Why do you bring computer science in this discussion? It's stupid"

"You could have told me yesterday that you gave up on it" he smirked evilly "You're not being too polite Karin"

"I gave you another teacher" replied the girl "Andy is ok and I thought you'll be happy having a classmate as a potential teacher" she was preparing to leave, when another thing came in her mind "I didn't let you wait for me Samaki"

She was in no mood to be inquired by a pompous narcissistic god named Aizen Samaki and over this, she had to get home very fast because her father was sure to have another middle age crises if she didn't show up in the next 10 minutes.

"He's fine, but you could have notified me"

"I didn't" said Karin using a dry tone "Did you die or something?"

Aizen opened his mouth in a try or replying, but nothing came out. It was one thing that lingered inside his thoughts but to say it was like admitting he missed her and he couldn't admit to that.

"He's boring" finally said Aizen as he gripped a tree branch for support "And brainless … and he's incapable of using that stupid machine"

"Machine?"

"Computer. And he even told me that Microsoft Word doesn't support table creation …"

Meanwhile Karin listened carefully and when he finished complaining about Andy and his lack of computer knowledge, she burst into a fit of laughter. As a last attack directed at the red haired man, Karin remarked, trying to sound as ironic as possible:

"You seem to miss me, Samaki"

'_And you're going to kill me woman_'

His red lips twitched in mockery, while his mind was searching erratically for an appropriate answer.

"You should be proud. I just said you're a better teacher than Andrew"

"So proud … I'm overflowing with happiness"

Aizen shook his head, not agreeing with her way of sarcastically turning his words around, but observing that this was what made her so interesting and attractive in his eyes. Maybe he was getting too soft… and only after 3 weeks spent in the human world.

His attention was snapped back into reality, when a swish was heard from Karin's direction, only to find her gone. He looked around him, searching her thoroughly between the trees and behind them. He was about to give up, when he heard a snap from above, his head turning instinctively upwards towards the source of the sound.

"You look like an ant from up here … a red ant" yelled Karin from one of the oak's branches, dangling her legs happily "I bet you cannot catch me up here"

The raven twin was almost at the top, but she didn't dare go higher, because the branches were too thin to keep a human's weight on them without breaking. And to fall from 10 meters wasn't something she was eager to try. Even if it was a good strategy to convince her father to turn her into a Shinigami, she wanted to do it in a human body, not as a dead spirit fearing the transformation into a stinky hollow and praying not to break the chain.

She waved at Aizen, hoping that the man would take off and she would be able to go home at her lunatic of a father … but guess what. He didn't. As a matter of fact he did the exact opposite of it.

After he had cracked his knuckles and had freed his neck from the annoying strain that seemed to tense his whole gigai, Aizen began to climb branch by branch into the tree. A step then another one and in the end he reached the higher branches where Karin was waiting. To say she was surprised was a statement, but she wasn't really expecting him to carry out her so called bet.

"What are you doing?" Asked Karin as Aizen grabbed the trunk for equilibrium "If you fall and break your neck …"the man glared up at her, but his gesture didn't stop the vixen from continuing "I was not here"

Not taking her words into consideration and being concentrated on other things, like not gliding on the slippery bark, Aizen jumped athletically on the branch Karin was occupying. They were both straddling the branch, Aizen leaning against the trunk and Karin frowning at him for stealing her seat. Something cracked under their summed pressure, but the villain wasn't fazed by the strange sound.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Asked Karin as she clutched her backpack preventing it from falling "And be careful or you'll rename this park Aizen Samaki after the teenager that died falling from a tree. Sounds pretty lame"

"Here …"said the man ignoring her and handing an old book that had the title Legends of Olympus encrypted on its cover "I finished it"

Karin sighed, but decided to take the book from the awaiting hand, since Aizen was incapable of understanding the way a library was supposed to work.

"How did you find it? Satisfying?"

With the corner of his eyes, Aizen checked out her disrupted appearance. Her disheveled raven hair was hanging like a rag over the pointy ears, being adorned by a multitude of oak leaves. The wide smirk that appeared on her face made Aizen think of something he had heard a long time ago from his ex captain, Hirako Shinji. He said that women are the incarnation of devil and he also seemed to be entirely right in his misogynistic beliefs.

"It was interesting, but I believe they emphasized the subject of relationships between siblings too much for my taste" replied the man "And the gods were portrayed vaguely and too humane, especially Zeus with his horde of illegitimate children."

Karin chuckled lightly "Bastard children, yeah! He had a few of them"

When he heard Karin's statement, Aizen felt like bursting into laughter, but he kept it in check with an impeccable control.

"A few …do you think he had only a few of them?"

She made a gesture of resignation, losing her balance for a second, only to restore it quickly.

"Well, the mighty Zeus is well known for his infidelities and erotic escapades, but I guess that with a wife like Hera I cannot blame him" answered Karin mockingly "He cheated her ruthlessly, but she kind of deserved it. And let's not forget that some authors call her a divine bitch"

"Half, if not all, of the children he had, were conceived through rape, so I don't see why you defend him" remarked Aizen, bracing himself against the trunk for better support.

"I'm an optimist" said Karin happily, but her companion didn't believe the statement.

In conclusion Aizen raised an eyebrow, mirroring total disbelief and wonder. Karin was anything but an incurable optimist and the villain knew enough to not understand the unusual behavior; he even glanced scrutiny erecting a loud growl form the raven head.

"Stop looking at me like that" their eyes collided in a silent fight "Okay. Look … I want to believe that a god won't take something by force even if he desires it will all his might." the red head almost laughed at the ironic statement "Zeus may have resorted to trickery and scam to take _that_ thing, person or whatever, but that's all. I mean being a god means unlimited power …"

The next succession of remarks took place too fast for a normal human to follow their meaning, but Karin and Aizen had no problem in doing so since neither of them can be described by the normal attribute.

"And unlimited desire" his eyes seemed to linger on her lips.

"… true, but …"

"If a god wants, believe me, he will get it by whatever possible means, including rape"

"I don't know … It's debatable" disagreed Karin, trying to find a good reason for Samaki's previous statement.

It was somehow disturbing to believe that a god can only express his wanting and not take the love aspect into consideration. It was just as stirring to state that someone can only rape and not understand the true meaning behind his disgusting actions. Yet it was a truth behind Aizen's words that not even Karin could argue on.

"Zeus raped Hera" said Aizen putting an end to their contradictory discussion or at least trying to.

Being stubborn and not the type to be vexed, Karin wasn't easy to contradict, especially by a boy.

"Zeus raped Hera, Europa, Leda and a whole bunch of women that I cannot even begin to name, but Aizen … we are not in Ancient Greece and a real god, or the one I created in my perception won't do such things"

"The god you created is not real and will never be. It's only the image of a perfect being rendered by a stupid child that still believes in fairytales" snarled Aizen.

It was a long moment of uncomfortable silence that neither of them could interpret in any particular way, but none tried to do so. Karin avoided his gaze at all cost while he attempted to make contact with hers. He didn't prevail in the quest of winning her attention, but after two minutes of silence, Karin finally said:

"Maybe you are right, but I do prefer my version of a god. It's better than some distorted creature that transforms into a prince charming only to satisfy his own pleasure … and abandons her the next morning, leaving behind an overvalued lie and a couple of children … usually twins"

Aizen would have contradicted her, if it hadn't been an actual truth carefully hidden behind her words. He leaned against the tree thinking of another intriguing question, but none seemed to find shelter in his already engaged mind. Not being able to decide on what to ask, Aizen was satisfied with a simple question.

"Then why were the gods portrayed this way?"

"That's a question I believe I might be able to answer" happily answered Karin, rubbing her hands together "Don't forget that the Greeks themselves invented Zeus and the Olympians." She continued while threatening Aizen with her index finger "If the king of gods had the right to rape and take by force what's not his, then a man could do it without being judged for his sin. Zeus does it then it's ok"

"You have a valid point" agreed Aizen

With a last glance in his direction Karin opened her backpack, probably looking for something. Her companion took it as a sign of goodbye, but he was relieved to see she had no intention of leaving when she asked something about gods.

"Do you think a god is capable of love?" She mumbled, her head still stuck in the backpack's content searching frenetically.

"Love? Never. Want … maybe"

His answer was robotic and fake, thing that aroused a question mark from Karin.

"You always take these things so literal … Greek, Egyptian and Scandinavian gods were created by the humans as a method of explaining natural phenomenon or some miracles, like childbirth. I was talking about _that_ image of god create by you, and not an old poem written by Homer"

"It still applies" he would have looked in her eyes, but she was too busy with that damn bag of hers "A god cannot love"

"It's your opinion" she sighed "But I cannot share it, because a god that cannot love doesn't deserve to be called god"

She finally found the desired object that was none other than a red, shiny apple.

"Take it" said Karin handing him the fruit, not being able to contain an invective from erupting through her mouth "It complements your hair. Take it and tell me more about what you read"

"There was a part in the Trojan War …"began Aizen not taking into consideration the ironic statements Karin was usually throwing in their conversations.

…

They spoke about Helen and Prince Paris, about Agamemnon's jealousy and Odysseus' intelligence, but neither of them realized that 3 hours had passes since their _coincidental _meeting in the forest. They had food, the apples and some biscuits Karin found at the bottom of her rucksack, the book, which was perfect for quotes and extra comments, and they had a place to stay, the tree, so they needed nothing more. Of course contradictory opinions and mockery wasn't unusual, but they found neutral ground in the end.

…

"Damn it. I should have been home 3 hours ago" cried Karin when she checked the black watch wrapped tightly around her wrist "My father will have a heart attack and this time it may not be only metaphorical"

Aizen grabbed her arm before she had the chance to jump on a lower branch.

"Tomorrow?" He asked/commanded with a hint of desperation hidden behind the fatherly smooth voice.

"Will a retard like you be able to read another book without overloading his brain?" Joshed Karin.

She tried to ignore the contact of their heated skin and she succeeded in doing so. It was quite normal for Aizen to intrude in her personal space and she had got used to it by now.

"Yes" his attempt of a smile looking more like a grin than an actual kind gesture "And I'm not a …"

"There …you have you answer" she interrupted him in the middle of his phrase.

"… Retard"

'_Stupid woman. Someday you will kill me … if I do not kill you first_' thought Aizen while releasing the slim wrist apprehensively.

He watched as Karin dropped her weight on the branch underneath them, leveraging her hands on the trunk for better support. By the smoothness of her movements Aizen could easily deduce this wasn't the first time she had descended from a tree. Somehow her motion reminded him of a warrior that checks the field and then throws into the fight using the gathered information. Strange enough this was a style Isshin Kurosaki loved to apply in his Shinigami struggles.

While Aizen was studying her way of moving, Karin repeated the process with another branch and in 2 minutes her feet hit the ground with a loud thud.

"See you tomorrow Samaki and good luck with Andy" she waved at him "By the way … you look like a red ant that's stuck in a tree" continued Karin with an evil smirk painted on her lips.

But Aizen didn't have the possibility to respond to the offensive statement, because Karin was already running between the thick tree trunks when he finally realized it. He followed the trail of her reiatsu, but soon she was too far to be traced …

He was preparing to leave (more like to descend from the tree) when he saw it … a message carved in the hard bark of the oak, looking slightly unclear due to the rain that probably tried to destroy its content. It was incredibly difficult to decrypt, but Aizen's perfect vision made it readable.

"Strange thing to carve in a tree …" said Aizen "Strange indeed"

And he abandoned the branch, stepping carefully on some bumps that helped him for a better descent.

Behind him, on the tree, an unusual message was carved.

'_We were never meant to happen, but I don't regret it_'

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It was kind of random, but that's how I imagined a discussion between 2 stubborn minds.

I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't satisfying, but I guess I wasn't in the mood especially after an accusation I received and I want to clear it up right now:

Answer for**You should be ashamed**

I know that my story is poorly written and I know that I had made many mistakes in it: grammatical and many others. I don't need to be reminded of sophisticated vocabulary … I'm not a native so understand, but I have never cheated and I do not plan to. Do you really think I would sink so low…?

If you don't believe me it's your choice, but I never did such a thing like faking my reviews. It's sick and I cannot see the point in doing it. I was curious to know how this story would be received by the FF community, so it would be illogic to fake my reviews.

And another reason… With half of my reviewers (the ones with accounts) I'm in contact and believe me they are different individuals; I made some pretty interesting friends here. I do not fear you or this site, because I'm not guilty. If someone from the system would check my reviews they would see they were transmitted from all over the world. I don't think I would be able to send a review from Indonesia and after two minutes one from Australia and then come back in Romania to publish a new chapter. Maybe I have a private jet that travels with the speed of light …

Sometimes I feel like I do not deserve these reviews, but then I remember that I'm working my ass off for this story. Please **remember **that before you spit on my work.

If you want to help me, please log in and give me feedback. I won't mind, but don't accuse me of something I didn't do. By the way check out my reviewer's countries and then check mine. You don't think I would be able to fool the system that much, right? Did you ever think that this fanfic is popular because of the strange paring and not because of my sucky English? … Obviously not because of my sucky English *laugh*

This is a long author note and I'm going to end it with a thank you for all my reviewers. Of course I like to have reviews form an actual account, but not for _that_ reason (who said anonymous reviews are fake was probably drunk). Truth to be told, I love to talk with you and share experiences and opinions; you can give me advices, criticism and so on, but if you do not have an account, I'm not 100% sure I can answer to all your questions. The best part about an account is the possibility to alert a story XD God! How much I love it.


	11. Wrong conclusions & Chess

I do not own Bleach… :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

This chapter had been beta-ed by Cittyno2 (thank you very much). If you find any mistakes, it's her fault (not mine). I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter11: Wrong conclusions & Chess**

"_Everything had changed since he left me. Damn it, we weren't even together to begin with, but I had all these false hopes with him and me. His only fault is that … he didn't stay long enough to hear my stupid feelings and me._

_I want to tell him so badly … but I can't._

_There is always this fact that stops me from barging in Soul Society (not that I know the way there, but a girl can dream) and it's so annoying. I'm a 12-year-old child, while he has many years of experience behind him._

_Still … I know I love him. I'm a child and yet I know I love him and I think that I'll never be able to forget him. _

_Yuzu keeps on telling me it's normal and I shouldn't get this hyperactive over the stupidest things; she says it's just a crush and I'll get over it, but what if it's not just a crush. What if no other guy could attract me ever again?_

_I'll die an old maid …virgin for eternity; all because you are a jerk__, Toshiro._

_Should a 12 year old write stuff like this?_

…

_I even carved a stupid message in a stupid tree. _

_How can I say that something happened between us, when we acted only as friends? We didn't happen … we just didn't._"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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After Gotei 13, namely the captains, lieutenants, Rukia, Ichigo and some other seated officers had been informed of Aizen's elopement and Ichimaru Gin's sudden come back from the mysterious land of the dead; life took another turn and not for the best.

Gin wasn't received in the most appropriate way because of his previous crimes and if this wasn't enough some of his friends, like Matsumoto and Kira ignored him completely. The only one that really talked with him and spent over an hour in his presence was Unohana and rarely, if he was in the mood for a chat/fight, Zaraki.

There was someone else that had visited him twice since his rebirth, but what they shared wasn't what it could be called a normal conversation, because the girl clearly wanted information and nothing more. Hinamori was curious about anything that was even remotely related to her old captain and Gin was the only one able to give it to her. He explained twice how had escaped Aizen from Muken and third times why was he so sure of Aizen's current location, namely the human world. She tried to combat his theory, but her reasons were weak and easy to demolish.

Still it was something Gin wasn't sure about and that was his hypothesis over the true reason of Aizen's escape: to destroy Soul Society, to recreate the damn key and maybe to get revenge on the one that destroyed his great ambitions. Yet none seemed correct for various reasons.

First of all Soul Society was even more powerful than before the Winter War, with the exception of Ichigo's sudden loss of power which was unfortunate but not irreplaceable, the boy still being able to keep up with a lieutenant's level of reiatsu.

The second reason was Karakura's change of reiatsu. If before the Winter War, Karakura had been the perfect and only location for the Key's creation, now this feat was impossible; its attributes had changed in the 5 years that had passed. Karakura couldn't create the Key and none other city could do it either.

The last, but not the least reason was that Aizen couldn't be so capable in hiding his reiatsu in the presence of the Kurosakis. Even if Ichigo failed lamentably at sensing reiatsu, Isshin was very perceptive in this domain. If Aizen dared to come even 10 meters from his house, the ex Shinigami was bound to sense him. Moreover, having an impressive mass of spiritual energy came with an unsurpassable obstacle that even the great Aizen might find difficult to pass.

For now the Kurosaki family and Soul Society were safe, but … he wondered … for how long?

Gin turned around looking at the calendar hanged on the white wall that wavered every time a stronger gust flicked through its pages. It was November the 1-st, or at least that was indicated on the vividly colored piece of paper, and coldness was threatening to envelop the whole world into one of the coldest winters ever experienced. Maybe Toshiro was frostier then usual or maybe … it was a divine punishment for their carelessness regarding a dangerous maniac.

The man rubbed his temples thinking that this was how one month had passed without any sign of Aizen in the human world and with supreme secrecy over his disappearance. It was boring and incredibly stupid, judging that standing in a chair and signing the same old forms helped nobody, but some Central 46 pricks.

Usually Gin wasn't so cynical, but anything related to his old captain got him in this state of pessimism … and anything related to Central 46, which seemed to like emitting judgments without thinking throughout them first. He was lucky that Yamamoto had put a good word for him and he had discovered Aizen's elopement or he would have been fried chicken by now.

Banishing those negative thoughts from his mind (because nobody can grin all the time with a mind full of crap o.O) Gin turned around just in time to see Unohana enter through the door. She had a grim expression and I'm-not-in-a-good-mood written all over her face.

"Retsu" waved happily Gin "You look kin' of … down"

The woman took a seat on a chair and relaxed her body.

"Central 46 is seeking for someone to blame and the best contestant is …"

"Me," completed Gin apprehensively. "The perfec' scapegoat"

He was the only one with dirty antecedents and an easy target for bureaucratic bastards, like the nobles attending Central 46.

"Yes" answered Unohana "They do not understand that finding Aizen is top priority. I guess some things never do change, even after 5 years"

"Rets'?"

"Yes"

Gin slowly opened his eyes and pointed them at Unohana. Judging his tone the problem he was trying to bring in discussion was serious and of grave importance.

"Why did he s'nd Byaku'a and Abarai in th' huma' wor'd, when Capta'n Hitsugaya was a better choic'?"

"I do not know" answered the woman, barely being able to understand Gin's jumpy question "but Captain Commander Yamamoto must have a good reason for not sending Captain Hitsugaya, the only one that knows the human world like the back of his hand" the honesty of her words couldn't be doubted, because she seemed genuinely upset over the old man's decision "After all, he had spent 3 months in the human world after the Winter War"

A moment of silence embraced the room. It wasn't an awkward silence, but if was fruitful due to the necessity of a simple break. Both of them needed the time to clear their minds of useless things and keep the ones that really matter inside it. However, Gin was engrossed in something and the woman realized it.

"What occupies your mind, Gin?"

The man shifted in his seat a clear sign of uncomfortable thoughts, but he answered, owing a little honesty to the healer who kept him alive through 5 years of coma.

"I don't understand' where can Aizen hid' that nobo'y is able to fi'd him? And what's hi' plan?"

"These are only question"

"I wan' the answers" his face lost the grin "and … I fe'r for us all"

Retsu didn't seem happy either and judging by the silence that enveloped her it was safe to say she was agreeing with her friend's opinion.

'_And I also fear for whoever crosses his path_' thought Gin, not wanting to scare Retsu with another dark presumption '_God have mercy on the poor human soul, because he will not._'

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The human world wasn't experiencing the coldness Soul Society was forced to. The temperature wasn't getting over 20 degrees, but it wasn't going under 10 either. It was the perfect time for thick sweaters, leather shoes and umbrellas. Who couldn't afford a pair of leather shoes was stuck with plastic or second hand sneakers, but it didn't matter because winter was sure to come with a cover of soft snow, white like the 10-th squad captain's hair.

In the month that had passed like the wind through the little town of Karakura, leaving behind only melancholy and sadness, many things had happened.

The once beautiful and green forest had been destroyed by the merciless rain and tempestuous winds, random bushes of weeds being the only green things that dared to raise their head over the ocean of dead leaves. The flowers had withered along with the whole nature. The once gorgeous white roses Karin loved so much had been stripped bare by enthusiastic children and stupid boyfriends, that couldn't buy a flower for their loving girlfriend. Guess it was cheaper to cut a rose from the park than buy one from a shop.

Ichigo and Karin were still upset after their fight and due to this inconvenience; he had totally forgotten to inform her of Aizen's disappearance. In addition, the Substitute Shinigami was being jumpier than usual because Toshiro was making pressures in Soul Society to come in the human world along with the search group.

He understood why did the child genius want to put his hands on Aizen's throat and squeeze till his eyes were unplugged from the sockets, but at the same time Ichigo wasn't sure he wanted him near his sister. It had been 5 years and Karin was still recovering after the abandon the boy had inflicted upon her. Toshiro coming in the human world won't do any good to the already hurt Karin.

However, Ichigo had no idea that his hurt, little sister was spending every afternoon with his archenemy, namely Aizen.

Yes. After that day, when Karin had _coincidently_ met Aizen in the woods, after school escapades became a routine. Karin would sneak in the forest and there, Aizen would always wait for her, sometimes patiently and sometimes … not so patiently. They would always find something to contradict on, but one of them would find a middle way or, if that didn't work, they would drop the subject.

The girl had gotten used to him and his creepy way of behaving, but it didn't mean she approved it … entirely. When Aizen was being a bigger ass then usual she would snap him in place with a well-aimed invective and when that didn't work, she would get violent.

From here, there were two options. One Aizen would stop with the comments and two, he would not. In the first case, everyone was happy and pleased with the result, but the second one was always painful for both of them. If Karin was very upset, (this implied very fast as well) Aizen was sure to go home bruised or banged up depending on the level of annoyingness he put her trough, but it didn't mean Karin was off the hook. Just by trying to beat up one of the toughest Shinigami in history, even if that someone was stuck in a gigai, was a complicated job, so Karin had been forced to go home bruised up more than once.

However, nothing could compare with the sentiment of accomplishment she felt every time she injured Aizen. There was a downside of these fights, a downside Karin wasn't eager to confess.

Well …let's say that when you're trying to kick someone's butt you can get in some pretty embarrassing position without trying too hard. And for some reason they tended to get in these position because of Aizen's _clumsiness_. Karin suspected something about it, but she was preoccupied by other things, like the fact that Aizen was too ignorant of some aspect that should have been simple, like minimum geography knowledge and mobile phone usage, but had vast knowledge of Japan history.

She had asked him once if he lived under a rock, but he had dismissed her pretty quickly. He always did that when he felt threatened by something and Karin avoided those subjects. Of course, she had this spontaneous memory, which magically activated whenever Aizen was being a jerk, which happened almost all the time.

During this time, Aizen hadn't talked with Yuzu even once. He avoided any contact with her.

The obsession Aizen had developed for Karin had grown in magnitude and it became even more acute than ever, but for some unknown reason he wasn't inclined to act upon it. To say they were bonding was a good world for Karin, while Aizen thought of it more like learning about the human's habits and traditions.

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In a secluded place situated in an obscure café bar, two figures were staring at a piece of wood that rested on the little table. It was barely enough space for the board, but somehow they made some room for two cups, one filled with coffee and the other with black tea.

The girl sipped from the dark liquid, enjoying the bittersweet taste. She had been forced to add three spoons of sugar, but after that, the coffee was in perfect balance. However, the boy seemed upset with the tea he received, twitching his eyebrow every time he tried to degust it. It wasn't that bad, but with a low price comes a cheap tea.

In front of them, on the coffee table, chess pieces were spread on a chessboard. By the looks of it, the board was pretty old and the pieces were partially eaten by carries, but still resembled the originals. The girl was maneuvering the black pieces and the boy was stuck with white. Judging the actual settlement, the girl had advanced ruthlessly in her opponent's territory spreading black pieces all over the table, while he was playing in defensive, keeping the pieces together under his careful supervision. He was playing safe and she wasn't.

On a third chair, not occupied by anyone, the two being the only people at the table, 4 black pieces were mingled together with 3 white pieces. It appeared that the safe playing wasn't really helping in front of a vicious assault from the opposite color.

"Let's make a bet. Whoever loses the game will have to … finish the other's drink" said the girl.

The red headed man glared at the dark haired girl, not believing she was being serious about the proposal.

"And how is that in the winner's advantage?" asked the man.

With a devilish smirk, Karin bent over the table picking up the cup of tea, being careful not to spill its content. She began to swing it in Aizen's face, looking awfully happy for someone that could drop it any second.

"It is in the winner's advantage 'cause I despise tea and you hate coffee" she motivated as the cup's sways became faster and more dangerous.

Aizen tried to stay calm, even if the hot liquid was threatening to shed its hotness on his unprotected crotch, but in the end succeed only in delighting Karin.

"It's a deal" he said while grabbing the cup from her hand.

Luckily, nothing was destroyed, apart from Aizen's right palm, which received a pretty nasty burn because of the cup's hotness.

"It's a bet. Pawn to D4" smiled Karin, moving the pawn at the indicated position, without noticing the hurting teen.

Being a stubborn man (no pleonasm intended) with a shrewd mind, Aizen wasn't easy to impress, especially by Karin's farts of intelligence.

"Pawn to E3" calmly replied the man.

"I'm going to get you pawned, sucker" smirked the girl "Literally. See … you are not that smart"

If the villain was being amused by Karin's childish behavior, he didn't show any sign of it. Maybe because this was the way she usually acted when being around him. In the month they spend together, the human girl had dropped her defenses, leaving herself bare open to any attack. But none came, whether because Aizen seemed to follow her example, whether because he was too engrossed in their game to notice it.

"It's just a pawn waiting to be sacrificed" said the man, sipping from the tea "And it doesn't matter since I'm going to take your pawn after you take mine" he was really sure of his plan, but he couldn't let the guard down, fearing a counterattack from his opponent, namely Karin.

Meanwhile the girl was giving her options another thought. She began to gesticulate towards the chessboard while explaining her opinion about what she should do.

"I hate when this happens. If I do not take your pawn and move forward at D3, you will take mine with that white thing standing at C2. If I do nothing you'll take it with the pawn, you have just moved and if I take your pawn, you will take it with another one. It's a win-win … boring"

She moved the piece over the white pawn, but a hum stopped her from any other movement.

"What!" she snapped at the source of the sound.

Aizen was leaning on the seat studying her with that amused smile of his. He wasn't only humored by the situation, but overly pleased with Karin's ridiculous predicament. After all, who had the possibility to see Kurosaki Karin in a chess dilemma, but him?

"I had some difficulties deciphering what you just said" he answered, lying about the true reason behind his amusement and not wanting to uncover the obsession he had acquired.

"Then you are stupid" stated the girl.

"Then you do not know how to make a plausible sentence"

"Okay. I'm fine with it. You are a stupid retard and I cannot make an intelligible sentence" concluded Karin.

When he heard the answer, Aizen snorted noisily, but decided to humor her for a while.

"Stupid retard … so mature Karin" the girl mumbled something about him being a retarded asshole "Are you sure it's a win-win?" He continued ignoring her completely.

"What do you mean?"

Aizen gestured towards the chessboard pointing at the white pawn.

"Your pawn is very close to the edge"

"And?"

"If I let you get it to the edge you'll have your Queen back" answered Aizen reticently "And I cannot let you do that, right?"

The smirking face of Aizen snapped something inside Karin, but she was able to contain her anger in a compact bubble inside her.

"Evil bastard. I bet you had planned your whole life"

"Almost"

Karin believed him for a second ... maybe even more. So she checked his expression and when no malice or dishonesty appeared to be hidden anywhere, she continued.

"You're just jealous I chose back, while you're stuck with white"

"Stupid to A5"he tried to move a white bishop "Sorry. That's you"

"Motherfucker"

They grinned at each other, remembering all the ironies and invective shared between them. For some reason, these predicaments became never boring habits. A routine … a pleasant routine.

After one hour, while in the background the radio played some unknown music, the game had taken another turn.

"Bishop to B3 and checkmate" smiled proudly Aizen.

"It's just check" babbled Karin clearly vexed by the situation "My king can still move at E1"

"Okay, then move it. I'm going to win the next round. Give up"

He spoke the truth because Karin was in a pretty nasty pinch, from where there was no escape. Being too stubborn to admit defeat, Karin shouted, scaring a silent couple that happened to be in their vicinity.

"NO!"

"I have a Rook, a Bishop and my Queen is waiting for your king" rapidly came the calm reply.

After she sulked for a while and pouted for 2 minutes, the girl admitted defeat. It was kind of impossible not to admit it when the opponent had made an impressive and quick checkmate.

"Why can't I beat you anymore?"

"Because I'm a fast learner and …" tried to say Aizen, only to be interrupted.

"And I'm a good teacher"

"I was about to say I'm smart"

With a raised eyebrow and question marks in her eyes, Karin attacked the man … nothing abnormal in their relationships.

"Narcissistic god. I'm not teaching you anything else"

"Sore loser" clarified Samaki.

Karin sighed and turned around to search for the school backpack. She easily found it hanging from a wooden rack.

"Anyway …I have to go home. See you tomorrow" she paused when she reached for her bag "… and don't forget we have that public soccer game tomorrow morning"

"Not so fast" purred Aizen, stopping Karin on her tracks "You have to drink my tea, or have you forgotten about it?"

Usually Karin wasn't the type to back down from a challenge, especially one initiated by her, but tea was her biggest hate and … maybe the only thing she was unable to digest. Raw slugs were suddenly sounding delicious.

"Look, I really have to …"she tried to digress, but Aizen always knew how to push her buttons to erect a proper response.

"Coward"

"Okay … if you insist I'll drink it"

She grabbed the cup, but when her lips touched the dark liquid that nested inside it, the stomach revolted at the awful taste. Trying not to gaggle, even if the burning sensation in her gut provoked her to follow her instincts of throwing up, Karin closed her eyes. This only amplified the feeling. When the whole world was spinning in circles around her head preventing the girl from continuing the quest, the last portion of liquid drained down her throat.

"God … this thing is atrocious" sputtered Karin.

Aizen couldn't help but smirk at the disgusted expression painted on Karin's face.

"Anyway …I'll go now" and she handed the cup back to its owner "See you tomorrow Samaki"

"Maybe"

He always said that after their sessions and he was always there the next day.

Karin waved at the waitress, a beautiful woman with light blonde hair, and thanked her for borrowing them the chess equipment. It was pretty old and eaten by caries, but for teaching Aizen how to play chess had been enough.

Only one thought passed through her mind while exiting the café bar.

'_Toshiro… Maybe I will be able to forget you_' she made a few steps, only to realize there was a little mistake in what she had just thought '_Toshiro I'm not only able of forget you … I think I finally did it_'

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Well Ta1234, everything you said sounds true, and from the moment, I received all these reviews I was sure something like this would happen. I can tell you this: I exchanged messages with ElvinEaston, and WillDieForever. If you want, I can give you a print screen. Report it for abuse ... I do not care, because the system cannot lie ... believe me. All these reviews were sent from different countries ... everywhere, but not mine. I know that your reasons are just, but understand that ... I didn't fake my reviews.

Everything is against me, but I have this one last card I plan to play. I don't know how this site works but I think that it keeps a straight record of the reviewer's countries. I will also ask the targeted reviewers (**Luce2086, Ferd1088, ElvinEaston, Hariman, WillDieForever and ToushirouKarin**), if they are kind enough, to show their countries for a short period of time. I cannot do anything about the anonymous ones, but I'll fight for the ones with accounts.

To tell you that when I didn't have an account and I had a story in radar I one-line reviewed just to encourage the writer … anything is useless. I won't even try. I'm only destroying my health and my sanity.

I don't know if someone is faking reviews, but I can tell you this. That person is not me.

I'm sorry to tell you this, but if this continues I'm going to halt the writing, because no matter how sensible are all these reasons, they sicken me. I'm an honest person that just wants to publish her ideas. I sent a message to the support crew and asked them to check my story. Let's see if they find something at amiss.

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Sorry I didn't put too much spirit in the second part, but … I couldn't do it …

I took a large time skip because I don't want to bore anyone, and truth to be told I was bored with it XD. There is also so much more to the plot and so little time …

I'm sorry to inform you that I'm being forced to rarefy my updates. I'll have a math exam (only one) on 12-th of September. I'll try to update weekly till then … and when school starts, I'll do it twice a month. So if you want to follow the story, alert it and when I update you'll receive an email.

Hakkuchi: thank you for pointing out some rather embarrassing mistakes. I'm happy you "get too into some stories" I hope it's the same case with mine. And yes, Aizen's abilities have decreased because of the gigai. I'll tie all these loosened ends, but in due time. About the happy ending … it's too early to decide what I want to do. I have decided my plot for the next … err… 15 chapters, but from there I can go right, left … maybe it will be a crushing end, maybe it will be a happy one. I'm so vague XD You are not a random reviewer *smile* you are **my **reviewer *big hug 4 u*

Yoyo: I was the same … until my BF, snowAry, told me this amazing idea of coupling Karin with Aizen. He's an evil bastard and she's … not. The perfect combination.


	12. Soccer

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

This chapter had been beta-ed by Cittyno2 (thank you very much). If you find any mistakes, it is her fault (not mine). I was not pleased with this chapter, but luckily for me Cittyno2 did an amazing job with this one.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter**** 12: Soccer**

"_Goodbye my almost lover …_

_Goodbye Toshiro … goodbye forever_"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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Today was the day! The soccer team gathered in the school's yard preparing for the following match. The difference between this and any other training sessions was that the students were invited to participate.

Usually the soccer practice was private, only the coach and the members could attend it, but at the beginning of every month, the team had a public session … another good idea the committee came up with; those guys broke the record for stupid decisions.

Karin watched in awe as a nosy mass of students trooped in the galleries, filling them completely. She could barely see the scoreboard between her schoolmate's heads. It was not even a proper match, yet every chick was present in the arena … there were some boys lost in the crowd, but they could have easily been mistaken for tomboys.

Firstly, Karin tried to think the situation logically … why were only girls present at the practice, it made no sense. Soccer was, is and will be a boy's game.

"Captain!" Screamed Tony, the well looking attacker, drawing her back in the real world "We have to make the teams"

The girl turned up her uniform's sleeves, this being her way of saying she's ready for the game. Yuzu, who was hanging in the first row, yelled some encouragements at her sister … well she tried to yell, since Yuzu's level of decibels is way under Karin's.

"Okay Tony!" Snarled Karin, earning another cheer from the crowd "Let's choose the teams. You are my adversary so choose wisely …. I'm a hard beat"

Aizen was scanning the galleries using the same logic Karin previously did. When he heard the girl's comment, he bit his tongue, trying to contain a sarcastic reply from escaping.

Tony whistled at the crowd and as a result, the annoying background noise disappeared gradually, being replaced by tension. Karin smirked at the girls' reaction and thanked god for choosing Tony as her _second in command_, since she was unable to silence a fly, let alone an angry mass of fangirls.

"I will choose Aizen" stated Tony, making a sign towards Aizen that indicated he's with him.

The ex Shinigami captain stopped some harsh words from coming out … along with a kido. It would look suspicious if a strange _accident_ happened at Karakura High School football field and the only survivor was Samaki Aizen. Without any trace of doubt, Soul Society would go rampage, would search for him, and with his low reiatsu the possibility of fighting back was practically null.

He had to give up, but the idea was still tempting, especially when Karin joked about his model like appearance.

"Okay … if you want the red dyed model as your gate keeper …"

Tony snarled at his captain "I will show you that I made the right choice, captain-_Sama_"

"Whatever you say Tony-boy" taunted Karin "We'll see after the match …"

Tony looked like a bomb with a timer attached to it. Nobody could blame him, because the soccer captain was a difficult person … and a girl.

"And captain" said the boy, making Karin turn around "It's not red dyed model … is model with red dyed hair"

Aizen grinned at the girl's predicament, sensing at same time a figurative storm coming their way. He could swear that his captain processed the information way too slow and only after her teammates burst into a fit of laughter, the real meaning struck her. Karin was black from anger and embarrassment, but kept her mouth shut. Tony trembled when her blue eyes acquired a darker shade, promising a violent match.

"Coach!" Screamed a girl from the galleries "We wanna see Aizen-san in action, not two _boys_ bickering"

Every other girl agreed and as a result, some of them rose from their seats cheering "AIZEN-SAN!" synchronous.

"At least now I know why so many girls came" mumbled Karin, swearing that the next time a new member will come in her team, she'll accept the transfer only if he's ugly … and with freckles; girls do not like freckles. Not that Aizen was well looking or anything … he was hideous …

'_Damn it girl … you don't even believe that_' thought Karin, slapping her face mentally '_He is the hottest guy you had ever met_' she subtly leered at Aizen, only after she was 100% sure nobody would notice '_those abs are quite a hook. And if it's possible, he looks even better with this new haircut … totally gorgeous_' her teammates were busy laughing at her expense, Aizen was glaring at the sky and Aizen's fan-girls were engaged in their own leering at the gorgeous gate keeper to notice hers.

'_Did I just think … gorgeous? ... No … Because if I just thought he is gorgeous, I'm in a bigger pinch than I originally was_' Karin's face suddenly became white with terror realizing the implication of her words.

Then it came down …

"WHAT THE FUCK … I'm a girl!" Yelled the young Kurosaki at the woman that commented of her bickering with Tony. "You should check your eyes" then she mumbled silently "bitch … just 'cause I don't have a huge rack doesn't mean I'm not a girl"

The attacker, Tony, smiled at Karin's misfortune "I see a complex there …" he taunted, while Aizen rolled his eyes in annoyance, waiting for Karin's comeback. However it did not come.

"Shut up" snapped the girl, her eyes darkening again, "It's my turn. And I'll choose …."

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After the two-team members had finished selecting the desired partners, and the whole team was taking the designated places along Karin and Tony, the game began.

Karin gracefully fetched the ball right from under Tony's nose, and like a trained cat, her legs flexed throwing her forward, giving her a precious head start. Two seconds later, she was approaching the enemy gate, which was guarded by Aizen, with a look of determination in her eyes. He may have beaten her at chess, but soccer was her game, a game she was eager to win.

However, the man seemed unfazed by her hateful gaze … as a matter of fact he was watching her closely with his smug facade and relaxed composure. His straight stance and wide smirk could communicate only one-thing '_Come, because I'm ready_'

With the rest of the team, Aizen was flashing fake smiles and ego-soothing words, making them trust him completely, fooling them with a smooth attitude, but with her, his artistic play was breaking apart. The girl was not sure if it was 'cause she was seeing right through it, or because he was letting her see his dark side. At some point, she could swear he was doing it intentionality, but now with his intense gaze stuck into her soul, her beliefs quavered. One month spent in his presence and he was still able to shake her insides form root.

Karin shook those thoughts from her head and prepared her body for the future strike. When she was at a convenient distance from the gate, not to far too miss and not too close to be examined by the opponent, she took the pose necessary for a perfect shot and sent the ball at the gate. The round object spun into the air, aiming for the left top corner, the only weak spot she could see in Aizen's defense.

BANG!

The ball made contact with Aizen's stretched hand, producing clouds of dust on its path. It was a short moment of silence, interrupted by an overjoyed yell of happiness.

"It's a MISS!" Screamed Tony, jumping from one foot to another like a happy little child.

Cheers erupted in the galleries, an exaggeration from Karin's point of view, and even the all mighty coach was smirking under his bushy mustache. Just Aizen looked nonchalantly at the girl, seeming not to care about his spectacular catch, even if the whole stadium was ready to give him the golden medal for stopping Karin's impressive kick.

"That's all you've got, Karin?" Asked Aizen, definitely shocking the audience "That was supposed to be a kick? Because it felt more like a tickle."

"It is captain!" snarled Karin "And I'll give you a tickle …" she cracked her knuckles "… if that's what you want"

… That sounded bad …

A sly smile flowered at the corner of his lips, but only Karin was able to distinguish its true meaning, the others perceiving it as a peaceful and innocent smile.

Aizen threw the ball at a teammate, using only his hands, but because of the force hidden behind it, the boy wasn't able to catch it, Karin intercepting the object between her skilful legs.

The game continued with Karin kicking and avoiding her opponents tries of talking the ball, but none did so, because the girl was very crafty in dodging any attempt done with this purpose. She attacked the gate again, but Aizen kicked the ball right back at her, earning a delicious cheer from the crowd.

One hour later the score was still zero to zero, the match consisting more in Karin stealing the ball and constantly attacking the opposite gate with well-aimed kicks than a real team versus team match. The fangirls seemed happy with a Karin versus Aizen fight, so none complained about it and the team members were two engrossed in watching their captain get beaten up at her own game to notice anything else, like their own inactivity.

On the left side of the field, Karin was barely breathing, being too busy with building a decent strategy for Aizen's defeat to keep her own lungs in check. None of the ones she had previously thought seemed to have any effect on the man.

"Give up, captain!" Screamed Tony, accompanied later by another player. "You can't get past his defenses"

Ignoring her teammate's calls, Karin made one last try at the gate, but it proved to be a failed one.

With a mocking smile, Aizen was daring her to try repeatedly, knowing that in this case, victory was impossible. The look on Karin's face was one of pure fire and confidence combined with anger and enjoyment. The girl was clearly enjoying the game, no matter how cruelly and sordidly she was losing it. On the other hand, Aizen was enjoying their little quarrels as well, his face mirroring a different kind of pleasure than shouldn't have been displayed on a goalkeeper's dull face.

Enraged by the relaxed posture and soft expression Samaki was exhibiting and not being aware of his not so ethical thoughts, Karin struck the ball, not realizing she had added a small portion of her reiatsu in the mix. The ball flew at Aizen, leaving behind a trail of dust combined with spiritual energy.

It was very fast, too fast for a normal kick, but not its speed was important. The power behind the blow was foretelling to be a destructive one and by hitting Aizen, it could do extensive and irreparable damage not only to the hand, but also to the rest of his body.

Nothing seemed at amiss from the spectator's point of view, but Karin knew of the dangerous consequences the kick might have. For a moment, she hesitated in pointing it out to the man, but any doubt was erased from her head, when Aizen prepared to catch the ball.

"Get out of the way!" her voice hid a hint of worries and fear, but he ignored it, just like the rest of the people "Samaki you fool!"

'_She had put spiritual energy in it and she knows about it_' he thought, while talking a goodly pose '_let's see if her unschooled reiatsu can overcome my last remain of it_'

The ball was approaching his position at high speed and still he wasn't concerned one bit about the situation, because nothing could compare with the thrill of being in danger's path and of feeling a truly powerful reiatsu.

When the ball hit his hand, the unique energy Karin possessed entered right through his veins and inside his being. It rushed into his system, trying to conquer every particle of his soul and if it weren't for Aizen's perfect control over his own reiatsu, no matter how weak and tiny it was compared to hers, she would have succeeded in bringing him down. For just one second the man was tempted to spike his energy to the sky, but if he did such a risky move, a horde of Shinigami was sure to come and ask him of health.

A loud cheer woke Aizen up from the silent daze and when his eyes encountered Karin's astonished gaze, a part of him felt proud at the sudden show of positive emotion. He wasn't able to understand her question because of the annoying noise made by happy fangirls, but he could clearly see as her lips mimicked the word "How"

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The match concluded in a draw between the two teams, the first time Karin's part of team didn't won. Usually the team that included the fiery captain was winning detachedly, but this time, by adding Aizen in the equation, they weren't able to score …manly because Aizen was guarding the gate.

In the locker room, Aizen was changing in the school uniform, listening to Tony and his ramble about how good and talented in selecting teammates he was. The only _talent_ he had was the ability to annoy the team leader.

"You saw her face at the last kick?" asked Tony one of his teammates "Did you see it? Totally scared"

Aizen checked his appearance in the mirror, arranging the long sleeves of his blouse. The winter uniform was complimenting his tall and lean frame, defining the masculine figure he possessed. His red hair was getting in his eyes, making him wonder how he survived with a curl in the middle of his face. It didn't really matter since out of this fake body he would retake his previous spiritual body that included brown hair, curl (of doom) and older appearance.

The man could distinguish in the mirror Tony's blurry figure, but his voice was easily reaching his ears. He continued to ramble about Karin and how scared she had been. Still only Aizen knew of the real reason behind her sudden fear, but he couldn't speak about it. The girl knew of her powerful kicks and in her own twisted way, she was trying to defend him against it.

While Aizen thought about the unusual occurrence that took place on the soccer field, the room emptied quickly because the next hour was begging in 10 minutes and the boys were eager to lose time with their respective classmates. It was better than talking with some teammates they saw only once a week at the soccer practice.

After nobody else was stationed in the room, Aizen decided to leave, but he stopped because of a loud knock and a well-known voice asking:

"Are you decent?"

"Yes" he answered reticently.

He could lie about it, but a part of him wanted to find out the true reason of her visit.

Karin squeezed through the barely opened door, closing it behind her immediately after she was inside. By the looks of it, she was too embarrassed only by being in the boy's locker room, but not enough to blush or seem remotely disturbed by it. The only sign of awkwardness he could locate in her posture was the strange footing she chose for their discussion. Not leaned against the doorframe or stretched on a comfortable chair, but stiff and straight in front of him.

The red head tried to ignore the clothing, or lack of clothing better said in her case.

Karin had decided to abandon the jacket from the grey gym suit, wearing only the black tight shirt underneath it. A fancy, but short, ponytail gathered her dark, glossy hair at the back of her head, making her eyes more visible and her gaze even stronger than before. Only than Aizen realized how much had her hair grown in the month they spend together, remembering the first time they met and her short and unbelievably ugly hair.

The pair of brown eyes traveled lower over Karin's not ample, but not inexistent chest, talking notice of it and not determining if the light was playing tricks on his mind or this was really the soccer captain standing right before him. Her _assets_ were covered by the dark cloth of her tee shirt and the man could almost distinguish the outline of a bra underneath it. Whether because he wasn't used to stare at a woman's breast, being far more interested in other things, like destroying Soul Society, making ingenious plans and being a god, or because he just wasn't the perverted type, Aizen avoided any other contact with Karin.

"I'm sorry … for your hand" she said pointing at his injured hand.

While Karin apologized for the pain she might have provoked, Aizen studied the bloody pattern that covered his palm, laughing at his incapacity to defend it against a simple burst of spiritual energy. Still the energy she had put in that kick was impressive for a normal human and again Aizen had some doubts regarding her true species.

"It was a good kick" he answered simply.

"Yeah …" even if she agreed with him, part of her couldn't do it because using reiatsu in a game of soccer felt like cheating. "If you say so"

She moved to reopen the door, but she heisted in leaving him. For one moment, Karin had the impulse to just exit, but part of her wanted to clear up something that had been bugging her for a while.

"You are a great asset Samaki" she smirked "I'll keep you in my team because of that"

It was the first time she made a compliment about anything related to him and knowing that it may be the last, Aizen felt like adding.

"I prefer to be called Aizen. I told you that before, but you have forgotten about it"

Only Shinji had called him by his first name; even if Samaki was not his real first name. It was ironic because she was the only one that doubted him just like Shinji had doubted his truthfulness in Soul Society 100 years ago. History was repeating itself like a never-ending circle.

"I'll call you Aizen when you'll call me captain"

"I knew you'll say something like that"

An awkward silence enveloped them. Karin prepared to leave, but again an unnoticeable force kept her there. It was like an important thing they were supposed to discuss was keeping her from talking that step outside the room and by leaving it unsolved; she wouldn't be able to finish it.

"Okay …Aizen" the name rolled from her mouth with easiness "Aizen …"she said once more "this name suites you like a glove" her smile widened "I don't know why, but it does. Don't worry. The only good things I'll ever say about you will be regarding your soccer skills"

"Such strong words … not fit for you" remarked Aizen, grabbing the last backpack from a nearby chair.

"What's fit for me Aizen?" She answered.

The man moved behind her and she opened the door, exiting the room with Aizen hot on her trails.

"True, so true …"said Aizen as he bypassed the girl.

Because he seemed to be in a rush, Karin eyed him mockingly asking a stupid question, just because she wanted to screw with him "Why do you insist on using your surname?"

"It's well kn …"he stopped, realizing how dangerous such a statement could be "It suits me better than my first name"

Karin approached the opposite door, the one that was going into the girl's locker room, while her companion prepared to exit through the front door.

"Cannot argue on that… like I said … it suits you, for a reason I cannot understand"

In addition, she left.

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On his way out, Aizen received an unpleasant surprise, standing in the way and, apparently, waiting for him. She had light brown hair, matching eyes and the annoying surname of Kurosaki attached to her name. The annoying copy of Hinamori and the woman he wasn't eager to meet … at all.

"Aizen-san" cheered Yuzu happily at the all mighty god.

Aizen's world froze. Yuzu talking with him wasn't a good idea. He peeked at the strange expression plastered on her face … definitely not a good idea.

"Yes?"

His voice sounded so far and distant, but Yuzu didn't notice; after all, she was too happy to realize anything else but her amazingly big happiness.

"There is a party, the freshman's party and everyone is asked to attend it, even the students from other years."Said Yuzu while fingering the front of her uniform "And … we can come with partners."

As always, Yuzu wasn't too subtle in asking someone on a date, or precisely in this case to be her date. She was wearing a sweet innocent expression, almost begging him to go at the party with her. Everything would have been okay, if Aizen hadn't known that the moment Karin would find out about this little settlement hell would break loose; and truth to be told he didn't want to go with the Kurosaki bitch anywhere or anytime soon.

"I had no idea" pacified Aizen, smiling sweetly on the outside, but cursing the woman with every free particle of his being inside his mind. Another part was searching for an excuse, but still nothing seemed to sound anywhere near logical enough "I guess my classmates forgot to tell me"

"Oh!" Exclaimed Yuzu "I see. I'm sure they didn't mean it. It must be a misunderstanding, that's all"

Not wanting to look like a total ass, Aizen agreed with her.

"Yes. You're right"

The woman standing in front of him visibly brightened up and Aizen could swear he had seen lights turning on inside her eyes and her whole being glowing in a bright aura of colorful happiness. This Kurosaki's ability of such a low level of naïve-ness still amazed him, but he wasn't that dumb to confess it, especially to the subject in discussion.

"Would you like to go?" asked the man.

Without any trace of hesitation, which didn't surprise Aizen one bit, Yuzu accepted. She didn't ask where or when, just accepted the offer.

'_Strange girl … If I didn't know better, I would say Karin acts like a Kurosaki more than her_' thought the man as he began a stagnated talk with Yuzu about their plans for the designated evening.

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On a lonely street, two girls were pacing/jumping over the mountains of trash and rotten eggs, one of them cursing the mayor's negligence the other being lost in her personal la la land. She almost tripped because of a lunch box carelessly thrown in the middle of the street, but the other one caught her elbow in a tight grip preventing a, probably, disastrous accident.

"Yuzu be careful" exclaimed Karin while helping her sister to regain her balance. "Where was your mind wandering?"

"I'm going on a date with Aizen-san"

It hit deep and hard, striking the girl like a tone of freshly poured concrete. The muscles on Karin's arms instinctively strained under the pressure of an unknown force and nothing seemed to matter.

She could not breathe, speak or do anything for a couple of seconds, being busy with the process of the newly received information.

"What?"She asked not believing a word, but guessing that her sister wasn't lying about it.

Featuring a flick of her wrist, Yuzu explained in a short statement what really happened after the soccer match.

"He said he'll escort me at the ball"

"It's a stupid party" mumbled Karin, trying to recover from the shock.

The digression had gone unnoticed by the naïve twin, who decided to detail her desires over the freshman's party instead of listening to whatever her sister wished to say.

While Karin thought of an escape route for both of them, which, preferably, didn't involve Aizen's presence, Yuzu began to jazz about the clothing she'll wear at the party, determining possible options for shoes and she didn't forget about the all mighty accessories.

"I cannot wait. I'll have to choose some pretty clothes. What do you think about my pink dress" a mumbled '_Which one?_' was the only reply she got from the unenthusiastic twin, but nothing could destroy Yuzu's good spirit "Or the pink chakra spaghetti dress. The one dad gave me last summer for our own freshman party …Do you remember it? "

Not even the frown that spread over Karin's face could demolish the good mood. The girl was too happy to notice anything else.

"And a pair of high heels … the one bought by Orihime for my birthday. Do you think they are okay, Karin? I mean they are kind of exaggerated even for me."

"Yeah" agreed Karin, finding the opportunity to mock Aizen a little more "for a giraffe like _Samaki-sama _you might need at least 5 inches" sputtered the girl angrily.

"He's not a giraffe," exclaimed Yuzu, clearly offended by her sister's accusing tone "He's tall and handsome"

Not being able to stop herself from an ironic replay, Karin mumbled between clenched teeth.

"Yeah … the perfect guy"

Yuzu stared at her sister for a second and smiled happily the next one.

"True. I'm happy you see him in a positive light" she clearly didn't sense the irony in her sister's answer, even if the bitter tone she had used was enough of a clue "And I'm also pleased that you're not being like the last time he asked me on a date"

"Hm" sniffed the black haired twin.

"We had a pretty nasty fight, but in the end we were ok"

"Yeah … we were"

The walk home was sprinkled with Yuzu's ramble about what she'll wear at the party and some other things Karin couldn't remember because a bird flying in circles above their heads provided to be a better waste of time than listening to her sister. The girl gestured at a shiny store that was -coincidently- selling clothes and shoes, which brought Karin in a catatonic state of despair.

"Yuzu … I have to go somewhere" stammered Karin, making a defensive gesture with her hands crossed over her chest "Sorry. I'll let you here if you do not mind"

Moreover, if she did, Karin wasn't sure she would be of any help. Truth to be told she was trying to avoid entering in anything related to clothes, dresses, pink, heels or, the worst of them all, jewellery. There were some things that not even the bravest warrior could accomplish and one of them was shopping with her inoffensive twin sister … the other one being tea.

"You always go somewhere after school and you never tell me where" pouted Yuzu.

"Yeah …I'm really sorry" tried Karin to reconcile Yuzu and the adorable frown that threatened to appear on the girl's beautiful face "But look" she pointed at the store "You can choose whatever your heart desires and dad will be happy to give you money … you're under the protection of an expense account, especially if it involves… party clothes"

Yuzu seemed to think for a while, probably studying the Pros and Cons of letting Karin go or buying something for herself. Decisions, decisions.

"Okay …see you home then"

And she busted into the shop, being unaware of her sister's way of manipulating her into not following her wherever she was planning to run.

'_Samaki, pray to god, because when I'll find you not even that pretty face of yours will save you_' thought Karin while putting as much distance between her and Yuzu as was humanely possible '_I'll hang your balls from the ears. Believe me … You'll have one hell of a pair of fancy earrings_'

The rabid steps were bringing her near the park and its little forest stripped of any leaves. She was seeking the meeting place, the place they had decided a long time ago, before any of this craziness could start.

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Somewhere else, in the Kurosaki household, three figures were occupying the small room at the first floor of the house. One was spinning on a chair looking disturbed by something, another one was getting comfortable on the blue cover that spread over the bed and the last one was leaning against the cupboard, a serious expression glued to his face. They seemed to stay like this for a while, until the silence was penetrated by Ichigo's annoyed, but curious voice.

"Byakuya, do you have any news?"

"No we do not", answered Renji instead, being aware of his captain's discomfort and short temper. Being in the same room with his archenemy, Kurosaki Ichigo, was sure to raise his apprehension along with his dangerous and heavy spiritual energy "By the way, where is your sister?" tried the red pineapple to lighten up the conversation.

Even if the (assumptive) friendly talk had barely started, a wry tension was mixing into the air creating an awkward sensation of heaviness and plague; nothing surprising when the two Shinigami knuckleheads were being involved in a silent fight of masculine ego.

Renji was always the one to distinguish that tension and usually extinguish it with some long and inevitably boring explanations. Still they worked like grease on a squeaky old hinge, but this time, it only maintained it and enriched it with even more vigor.

"Yuzu is in the kitchen, preparing dinner for you, insatiable Shinigami. You passed her when you went upstairs so you already knew that Renji. Why ask?" answered a suspicious Ichigo.

He rather guessed his friend's real reason for asking, but he was in the mood to fight with someone and since Byakuya looked too bored to do it anytime soon, the perfect target was Renji and his incredibly red hair.

"I was asking about the other one. Karin" came the harsh reply. "Don't be an ass"

Now Ichigo had the perfect opportunity to throw his sorrow and bitterness on someone else. All these unpleasant feelings were created by Aizen's escape and his total inability to be of use to Soul Society or to his family, especially his little sister.

"What's your business with my sister?" His snap seemed to wake up the third party, who was still very much silent and solitary in the secluded corner of Ichigo's room "I had enough problems with Toshiro and his sudden interest in my sister, and don't force me to do the same thing …"

"You did to him" filled up Byakuya "Kurosaki, you seem to be ignorant of the problem that revolves in your town, its name being Aizen and if you continue to banish Captain Hitsugaya, your town will burn in hell; with the worst criminals in history keeping it company there"

It was a real and normal reaction. Still Ichigo could not accept it. He turned around, facing the black haired captain and when his gaze collided with the smug expression plastered in the other's face, something snapped inside the orange haired Shinigami.

"Aizen cannot create the Key using this city. Rukia explained it so stop talking about him" the frown deepened on the boy's face, his eyebrows being stored between his brown eyes "He may believe he's an all mighty god, but if we keep on kissing his toes …"

"Do you think he won't do it just for pure revenge?" Asked Byakuya, totally ignoring the second part of the other's statement. "Get real Kurosaki and wake up from this dream you keep fooling yourself with. The whole Soul Society is on fire and you are busy cushioning your sisters"

Ichigo opened his mouth in a search for a comeback, but nothing came.

"We were sent to search …" began Renji, but this time Ichigo found the possibility to attack by interrupting his friend's –possibly-intelligent reply.

"Than go search for him and don't bring my family into discussion. Leave my sisters out of this"

"Do you know who broke the balance in this town?" Asked Byakuya.

Ichigo followed the man's gracious steps as he approached the window, settling on admiring the view. He wasn't reacting in any way and this scared him more than anything else did. If Byakuya wasn't answering to his, so-called, threats, that meant only one thing; the situation was very serious and even _he_ was feeling the pressure.

"Do you?"

"No and I do not care"

It was a stupid and childish behavior but Rukia's dear brother was asking for it.

"You and one of your sisters" came the harsh voice.

"Karin" Renji cleared up the problem of which one.

While checking the watch and trying to ignore the sudden rush of fear that sneaked inside his soul uninvited by anyone, Renji had a short exchange of glances with his captain. From the looks of it, they were both reticent in starting a war with the man that sacrificed his powers for their good and for the city, they were supposed to protect.

On the other hand, they both felt that the overprotective brother role suited him well enough, but when important affairs were being involved it was getting overly annoying.

"I do not care" he answered, making the other two realize how right they were in their beliefs. Ichigo was too protective, and it was threatening to interfere with his judgment "My family stays out. I don't care what Soul Society wants, but I know my sisters are off limits and I do not want any Shinigami near them, especially near Karin"

"I can respect that" agreed Byakuya, still looking through the window at the city; he was being sympathetic because if Rukia was involved he would react the same way "But Captain Hitsugaya doesn't deserve such a treatment from someone who's not above himself in any particular way" this time he turned around focusing his whole attention on the teen "And I do know why you are trying to protect your siblings from other Shinigami, but don't forget your hierarchy"

It was almost as if Byakuya was telling him that the land of spirits was more important than his family and friends, something Ichigo couldn't accept in a million years. Therefore, he decided to end any conversation with a man that was unable to comprehend that his point of view over the situation was just different from some altered form of prehistoric loyalty.

"Maybe, but the old man owes me for saving Soul Society so many times …"

Realizing that nothing could be shared between them, the two Shinigami left silently just the same way they came. Ichigo was too hard headed to accept anything else but his own perspective and Byakuya was too pissed at him for acting like an asshole towards the white haired captain to release his own beliefs. It was a war of egos none was able to win.

The question was: who was right?

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The park had acquired a strange aura of melancholy, but Karin was too annoyed to notice it. She marched rapidly towards the secluded place, which was now covered by a disgusting carpet of mud blended with dead leaves and withered flowers. The mixture seemed to like her brown boots, because every time she stepped in a puddle, a ball of nasty smelling mud would splash over her shoes and trousers.

Still Karin ignored anything related to it, focusing her whole attention on the little _oasis_ of light that was spreading in front of her eyes. There, underneath the fading light of autumn sun, a red haired boy was occupying a dark rock, having a book in his hands and apparently reading something from it.

"Aizen" she stopped just beside him, her toes touching the piece of rock he found shelter on "We need to talk"

_To be continued_

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I'm sorry for asking you to reveal your countries. It was impertinent on my part and I'm sorry. When I'm enraged by something I tend to act upon it without thinking. Hope it won't happen again :) Cannot promise anything, because I'm an incurable choleric. But I'm very happy, because thanks to your kindness Ta1234's review had been deleted by FF's crew, so I hope you (Ta1234) understand that they checked my story and realized I'm not faking my reviews.

The next two chapters will be hard to write… when I'll publish them you'll understand why *snicker* Sorry for the cliffy!

I'm sorry LilivOO, but I'm asking you to bear with me for a little while, because I have to prepare the land for the future actions. Now that I reread it, I realize it misses a "had" I'm under the impression that it had to be past perfect … damn this language.

SnowAry, my BF, the one that gave me this amazing idea, published her first fanfic featuring Karin. She told me the plot and believe me on this … it's mind-blowing._Soul Society brand KarinK signed with love & blood _–only the first chapter, but she's writing the next one *smile* And there is another Codryshipping fanfic written by none other than …. SnowAry. We want to spread the love.

Long Live the Codryshipping and Shadownia Clow, the one that found the name for this shipping (you thought only Aizen is a narcissist?) The last but not the least of my issues is the rating for this story. I may be forced to change it in M. The main plot will be still T, but I plan something *evil snicker*


	13. Not a cover

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

This chapter had been beta-ed by Cittyno2 (thank you very much). If you find any mistakes, it's her fault (not mine). I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter**** 13: Not a cover**

"_I seem to have this habit of pissing people off. On the other hand, maybe habit isn't the perfect word, more like an annoying feature probably inherited from my father and brother._

_Still I'll tell you this: the best example of rivalry is Jinta and I. I'll give you some reason from which I can deduce his e__agerness to decapitate me and send my remains all over the world. I can see him dancing samba on the beach after this great accomplishment._

_Back to the main topic:_

_First of all, he cannot__ stand my personality and me. Let's not forget that every single time we meet an altercation is inevitable. _

_Then I'm the only human standing between him and a bright future, spend on an exotic island in Fiji with my twin sister. I'm saying human because no matter how hard they try, Goat Chin and Ichigo haven't been humans for a long, long time._

_Another reason consists in the … similarities we seem to share with each other. This is the first and only time I'll confess I might have something in common with Jinta so pay close attention. We are both temperamental and have predispositions for violence; we are sometimes too arrogant for our own good, so we may … come home banged up after a Hollow had thrown us in the dirt because we were too damn stubborn to ask for help._

_The last but not the least is the position of Karakura Red. I gave up on that stupid title a long time ago, but he's still being a stupid asshole that can't get over it. I'm not going to steal it from under his nose, no matter how tempting it might sound._

_What's with men and their desire for power … really I cannot understand. Ichi-nii is the same. Train, train, train … so you could protect your friends … so heroic. Sometimes I'm tempted to scream BULLSHIT, but he's my all so dear brother … and I do not want to uncover the secret of the deep passion he has for Rukia. You guessed right, he clearly trains for Rukia … so he cou__ld be the knight in shinnying armour that sweeps her off her feet. So sweet._

_Now… back to the topic._

_If Jinta were the only one I piss off, everything would be just fine, but there is also the annoying computer retard Aizen Samaki …_

_Not a subject I want to discuss. One last word._

_The biggest ass ever, that also seems to have a god complex. A very big, high and fat god complex._

_This is not just a word, but whatever. Gotta go teach a retard how not to be a retard._

_Tough job, believe me"_

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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"Aizen" she stopped just beside him, her toes touching the piece of rock he found shelter on "We need to talk"

One short glance towards Karin assured him of a serious course of discussion. He rather suspected something about it, but it was funnier to annoy her into exploding like dynamite than truthfully answering her right away.

"About what?" He asked still standing on the rock, not bothering to raise his face from the book he held firmly in his palms.

If his indifference bothered Karin at least one tiny bit, she was careful not to show it. Actually, she looked incredibly calm and collected. If this strange calmness before the storm wasn't a sign of alarm for the future agitated weather, nothing was. Still a violent slap behind the back of his head was enough to capture the man's attention.

"Guess Mr. I'm-too-smart-to-pay-attention. I hope you're not that stupid."

After one month of torturous bonding, Karin still had the annoying habit of slapping him wherever she wanted and this degenerated in an obsessive compulsive disorder in due time. It didn't mean Aizen wasn't OCD-ing, because every time she did this particular slapping he would snap angrily giving her the same old speech.

"If you dare to hit me one more time I'll …"

"You'll strangle me and hang me by my throat above the sea, waiting for the sharks to devour me piece by piece, blah, blah, blah" impolitely interrupted Karin "I know the line, Samaki. You keep on threatening me like this every day."

"And someday I may not leave it just in words" growled the man, switching his focus back on the book.

"You know what they say. Action speaks louder than words" tried to cheer up Karin, sounding more like the shrilling of a machine than an actual pacifying old saying.

Aizen raised an eyebrow at the deceiving tone, but didn't change his point of focus.

Karin sighed when seeing that no matter how hard she tried, her friend wasn't in the mood for a solemn and serious talk. She took a seat beside him, with her legs crossed and hands resting by her sides. The rough surface of the rock succeeded in scratching her shins and palms, but she was too engrossed in reading over Aizen's shoulder to notice the forming bruises. It was a tough job, because the man was big, especially in the shoulder's area, and very tall, so the quest of reading over his shoulder was quite troublesome.

"What are you doing?" His tone woke her up.

Karin raised her head, only to meet his questioning gaze and perfect features. The fact that their noses were practically touching each other wasn't helping either.

"What does it look like?" she asked rhetorically, glancing inside his beautiful chocolate orbs.

For one second Karin was under the impression that the man's gaze slipped onto her plump lips lingering there too much for only a _friendly_ stare. After she had blinked twice, the illusion dispersed, Aizen's gaze being still fixed on her dark eyes. She shook the feeling of uneasiness, deciding that it was probably just an illusion her mind invented for her already paranoid view over life. Little did she know about the true reasons behind Aizen's complex way of thinking and that her vision wasn't playing tricks.

Karin mumbled something that resembled a 'strange thing', but before she could attack the subject she came for, Aizen answered her question.

"Peeking over my shoulder" he closed the book with a loud snap, turning around to face the girl.

He was forced to lift one leg on the rock and deposit it under his body. It was sure to get numb, due to the gigai's sensitivity, but he didn't care for such trivial things like his faux human body's well being. His pupils dilated when they were exposed to the girl's serious look and he was tempted to tilt down his head until he would be able to reach those beautiful god-ish lips. From here, it was all left for the villain's imagination.

Attractive little minx.

"Are you ok?" She asked when she remarked the man's dark look.

"Very"

If his tone didn't get her all shivery, nothing did. And those barely ajar, pupil dilated brown eyes boring inside her soul, drilling deeper than anyone had ever done, got her in a state of cationic fear. She was supposed to scream at him for inviting her sister at a party, but every single word flew away like a bird that had just found the way towards absolute freedom.

"Aaa …"she stammered "I want to …" tried Karin to link two fucking words, but even this seemed impossible in her state of blurry daze.

The man bended forwards slightly, enough to assure Karin of a bubble-penetration. The difference was barely noticeable, but Karin was on edge because of it.

"Too close" she said, pushing him backwards "I told you a million times to refrain yourself from this personal space invasion. Do you like doing that to anyone you meet?"

It was an honest question and one Aizen had expected.

"No, just to you." He answered sarcastically.

"I'm so flattered" her nails dug painfully through his jacket and deep inside his flesh. He was very lucky that his shoulders were somewhat bony or he would be in much trouble because of some ugly scratches "But at least now I understand why I'm the only one that sees you as a god complexed, creepy human"

Aizen came closer as a last attempt of enraging Karin. His hands were pinned on her sides assuring him of a better advantage then before; over this, his right hand slipped forward, bringing his body even closer.

"Really, Aizen. Stop it!" her command echoed without attracting any kind of reaction from the man "There must be a legal limit of creepiness. If you don't stop I'll call the government and ask them for a restrain order"

"Weren't you supposed to call a lawyer in these cases?" Incredulously asked Aizen.

"Smartass" a growl of rage emerged from her throat "But really stop it" her voice became raspy when a foreign hand sneaked over her belly "Aizen be aware of my punch. It's dangerous"

"Very"

However, the man wasn't paying attention, thinking about the cloth that covered the beautiful flesh of his companion. A soft squeeze and his fingers pressed onto the raw muscles of her abdomen, gathering the silky skin inside his palm. Even if he couldn't actually touch the milk-like epidermis, just by the delicate friction of the blouse's cotton against her skin he was able to deduce its softness.

"Yes …very. What are you doing?" she noticed the ticklish sensation "Aizen really it's not funny. Stop it!" Karin struggled to get free from the hand that tickled her front, while the other one stopped her retreat "Damn you!" she tried to detach the tricky left hand, since his right one was deeply embedded in the rock, just behind her, making an escape route impossible.

"You're ticklish" he stated simply while assaulting her sides with well aimed tickles.

Between shaky breaths and snippy tries of thought recollection, Karin had been able to link only two words, but after this unprecedented accomplishment, a new wave of laughter took over her yet again.

"Good deduction" another burst of uncontrolled laughter "Einstein." She almost spat on Aizen because of a not so thoughtful attack on her left side "I'll give you a prize for the best deduction ever done in Japan's history. Maybe you'll win The Nobel Prize"

Any other irony that might have come through Karin's mouth was stopped by a sudden fit of laughter and some very interesting moaning sounds. Aizen was even inclined to believe he had heard at some point a pleading moan of pain, but there were some other things that got his attention, like the spiritual energy that linked them so deeply. She didn't realize it, for obvious reasons, but her energy was pouring itself inside his veins creating an invisible chain between them. Nothing was done intentionally and not even consciously since Karin was just trying to escape the tickling gripping teen.

A swear escaped, sounding vaguely familiar.

"What did you say?" he asked, not releasing her.

" 'uck u" she snarled loudly even with a clenched jaw "U and yer entir' ..." Another wave of cold sweat crossed over her body "…family"

It was a real threat, but not nearly enough to scare the worst Shinigami ever created by Soul Society. He continued the assault and until Karin admitted total defeat, the rough treatment didn't change. Aizen couldn't admit that the only reason for this playful behavior he had exhibited before her was the "beautiful" sounds she was making when being irked.

After she had been freed, Karin dashed two meters away recreating the annoying distance Aizen worked so hard to diminish. She straightened her blouse and its limp collar by smoothing the ruffled edges. Meanwhile the man watched her like a hawk staking his pray, deciding the next course of action.

"You're way too quiet!" He stated exactly after Karin had finished the tricky job.

"Do you like … love Yuzu?" Still calm and trying to collect peaceful thoughts.

The brown pair of eyes slipped downwards in shame, but a subtle twitch of mouth disagreed with it completely.

"She's beautiful if I might say" this wasn't a lie "And a great kisser" he tried to ignore the loud snort that came from Karin, being already sure of her jealousy "She's useful and not something I plan to throw away anytime soon"

If he was seeking new ways of pushing her buttons, he was clearly succeeding in finding them, because his last statement shook her inner world … in many ways.

'_Why do I like this manipulative bastard? Please remind me again!_' rhetorically asked Karin, checking her appearance in a pool. This was the only utility she found for the gathering of water probably left behind by a rainy storm.

Suddenly another figure joined hers. The only warning she had before a well-known voice whispered against her ear, was a tall reflection mirrored in the clear water. Her bubble had been penetrated by an invader, but the seductive voice, flowing by her ear, filled the place like a smooth blanket of comfort that made her forget for one second all her worries.

"Why do you ask?" Even if he had guessed the answer a long time ago.

"I saw you together … and I was curious." A necessary lie, which became even more necessary because of their proximity.

She didn't blush or do anything stupid.

"Since when does curiosity make you so serious, quiet and touchy?" He was still using that deep sensual voice that was sure to bring a proper response from the dark haired girl. "And please do not act like the last time I took the Kurosaki b- on a date"

"I asked because I was overly curious and no! It doesn't make me _touchy_" she snapped, not noticing the unfinished b- in the reply.

Karin didn't turn around, fearing those brownish irises of terror and the fact that any motion was bound to bring her closer to him _and_ his body. Yuzu seemed to be the least of her problem, since she had almost forgotten about her twin sister.

As a response, her whole body stiffened.

"You're lying. Do you know how I know?" she shook her head vehemently, two strands of dark hair hitting her forehead repeatedly "I can see it just here" and he pressed the index finger on her nose, being obliged to bend his hand at an awkward angle because of the strange position they were in "It's as big as Pinocchio's"

She twitched her nose trying to chase away the invading finger. Finally, when this task failed, she turned around avoiding his hand by millimeters.

"So tell me. Do you like her that much?" he asked while taking a step back.

"Don't be idiotic"

Said the girl, making a face of pure disgust, which only provided to be the perfect fuel for Aizen. He already knew who the real object of her affection was, but he was not inclined to tell her anytime soon.

"So, you do like her"

"For obvious reasons this statement sickens me. First of all, in case you didn't notice in the multitude of escapades you might have had with her, she's a girl" replied Karin thinking that this was his way of being funny, when in reality he had no idea of the sibling relationship she shared with the blonde girl.

"Believe me, I noticed" his lips twitched upwards "And?"

"You're a disgusting pig" stated Karin as a serious expression retook its rightful place on her grim face.

"You're an overprotective bitch. Please do tell me what's new on the planet?"

A feral scowl appeared –uninvited- on the white face, but what impressed Aizen was the multitude of wrinkles that settled of her forehead. If it wasn't for the dark look of death she was sending his way, he might have cataloged her expression as cute.

"Look. I don't think she should spend time with someone like you," she said firmly, acquiring a strange tone of protectiveness.

"Like me?" Interrupted Aizen.

She was an incurable hypocrite, especially when he was involved in the equation. It was still very strange, because Karin was criticizing Yuzu of something she did daily.

"An insensitive jerk" her arms were crossed over her chest, protecting herself from a threat that was sure to come "Did I tell you about that god complex deeply embedded in your soul?"

"At least twice a day"

Gritting her teeth because of her annoying friend, Karin decided to peruse the subject with one last tiny trace of hope that speaking with him will solve the problem.

"I don't think you two are fit for each other. Let's be serious she's kind, innocent and maybe too naïve for her own good. On the other hand, you are …neither of these." Her gestures became wider sign of an erratic spectrum of feelings "Complete opposites. You need one of those rock chicks wearing black all the time"

The man raised an eyebrow, but decided to humor her.

"Really? And you know this exactly how, Karin? Read in a fashion magazine?" he received a delicious growl from Karin "It's easier to play with little and feeble lives that cannot defend themselves against the attacker … or they cannot see him at all" his eyes burned with malice and sarcasm "I'm sure that if I try, by the end of the month she'll eat from my palm like a pigeon that seeks for food."

Annoying her had become his favorite sport, but the enraged expression Karin acquired throughout his discourse was unexpected. Still he should have expected this reaction since his words were particularly dark and, surprisingly, genuine.

Something tough, probably Karin's knuckles, cracked under the pressure and only a hiss escaped her mouth before a punch was being thrown in his direction. She tried to kick him in the gut, but he grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back at an awkward angle, numbing the hand from shoulder down.

She was a fighter for the all mighty light, while he played with the darkness.

"You are sick and disgusting" she growled, her voice sounding somehow off because of her body's bend position "When Ichigo will find out about you _playing_ with his sister, he's not only going to kick your royal butt, but he'll skin you alive and not me or anybody else will be able to stop him"

He was looking at her with interested eyes, but she wasn't able to see his expression being busy with struggling out of his tight hold.

'_She clearly knows Kurosaki Ichigo and his overprotective nature, but I wonder how much does she know? Is she aware of the Shinigami. How close is she to the Substitute Shinigami?_' thought Aizen, unconsciously squeezing her wrist.

"Ghh" hissed Karin in pain, momentarily waking him up from the presumed jealousy. Not that he'll ever admit being jealous because of a relative fact like a possible relationship between his archenemy and the woman he wanted to bed.

"And what if he kills me?" He asked silently, almost whispering the last part of the sentence.

"Then the world will be a better place" snarled Karin, gritting her teeth at the same time.

"Do you really believe that?" Mocked Aizen as he released her hand.

Karin rubbed the abused skin, being almost able to distinguish the purple patter of a forming bruise. Her long fingers pressed onto the skin, forcing the blood to circulate through the forming clots. Just when an awkward silence was about to be established, Aizen tilted his head to the right, brown eyes sparkling with malice and discontent.

"You are right Karin. I should take one of those rock girls and since Yuzu is so easygoing I'll keep them both."

Her dark eyes narrowed, but before she could stop him with a not so pleasant roar, Aizen was 10 meters away. He was walking nonchalantly, stepping over some annoying pools of mud. It looked like even the dirty carpet feared him.

'_Why did I stay like a fool … without doing anything?_' she thought when he disappeared from sight.

"Damn it!" she screamed, soaring forward as her fist went through a tree's trunk leaving behind a whole as wide as her hand "I promised it won't happen again!" her other hand, the one that wasn't stuffed in the oak, grabbed the bark gripping onto it with wild abandon "I knew this would happen. I knew it and yet I did nothing to stop it."

Short breathes of anger hissed between her gritting teeth while her orbs were shut firmly, hiding behind thick dark eyelashes. Finally, she opened her mouth leaving a pained moan escape.

"I should have stopped; I shouldn't have let him get to me. Damn it, I should have known better than get close to him." Karin's hands slipped on the trunk, falling down along with her whole body "One month …in one month I have fallen for him without realizing" her lips parted slightly forming the words she didn't want to acknowledge "And … I know he's not _normal_, but I cannot stop myself"

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One week had passed since the evening they had that altercation. Neither of them wanted to speak of it and because of that, the usual meetings in the park were halted. If they met in the school's hallway, Karin would do anything humanely possible to ignore him and he would smirk and pass by without sparing even a glance. It was a simple ritual of a continuous run around the tail without being able to catch it.

Even if both of them seemed sure of the cold shoulder, they were giving to each other, in the comfort of their minds things tended to change. Karin damned her sister and that sweet innocent charm that attracted boys and implicitly Samaki, while Aizen was plotting a cruel revenge for Yuzu, since she was the source of his discontent. It was her fault for one month of hard work that had gone down the drain because of a stupid party. He couldn't stop his intellect from blaming the subject of his obsession who had the annoying habit of acting like a stubborn cow.

And in the end, he blamed himself for interfering with the human world and its complicated entanglements. It was hard enough to boil the perfect plan for Soul Society's destruction … now he had problems in his personal life.

Ironically, when he found a valid solution for one of the issues involving the Shinigami world, things got bad with his human alias and vice versa. It was a disturbing situation.

And he desired to solve some unfinished businesses in Hueco Mundo that couldn't be delayed much more. Someone was waiting for him there, deeply buried in the heart of Las Noches and soon he'll be forced to go get him. Aizen was aware of the power this man had and that he was alive and well, probably dancing the hula dance after he had been lucky enough to escape from his grasp. Aizen wondered if he'd ever find some other lost Arrancars that were spared during the Shinigami slaughter; his hopes were for the top Espada.

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Karakura was bathing in the warm light spread by the last rays of a bloody sunset. Colorful stripes of red and orange painted the blue sky in a chaos of crimson shades, twisting around the sun in a concentric dance. It had been one of the hottest days in the last month so it was no wonder in seeing women wearing skirts and men hanging their jackets nonchalantly over the shoulder. They were all enjoying, probably, the last sunny day and the possibility of wearing whatever they wanted without being cocooned in a multitude of fur clothes that weren't even keeping them warm.

Still it was the day of the party.

The 7-th of November was the date when one of the most adored parties in Karakura High School took place: the freshman's ball. It wasn't really a ball, but everyone liked to call it by this name, because of the pompous noun that was sure to bring more guests. Nobody really cared, but still it was better to show off about the ball that you'll attend, instead of the party that you'll attend.

Of course, Karin didn't give a dog's crap for the name and this overestimated school event, but she was compelled to go by her status as the soccer captain. Also, she couldn't let Yuzu go there without some strict supervision, especially since her partner was the biggest creep the world had ever seen. Maybe she was exaggerating in her beliefs, but there was no way she'll leave her alone with _him_; no way in hell.

So, that being the case, Karin decided to dress properly and accompany her sister at the party.

Everything was all right, except the fact that **they** were now walking down the street, Yuzu and Aizen talking some school nonsense, while Karin was matching nervously in front of them. From time to time, an enraged growl would leave her mouth, but only Aizen could hear it since he was the only one that actually listened to her every breath.

He tried not to laugh at the humorous situation, a subtle twitch of lips being the only sign of amusement he let loose. Karin was always the invaluable source of so much fun. It would have been better if she wasn't looking so damn hot, especially dressed in those totally black clothes and having her hair bound at the back of her head in a fancy ponytail.

His eyes traveled over her slender neck, noticing its fragility. It was indeed rather thin and white, or maybe it was just the contrast it made with her raven hair; it's a well-known fact that black tends to thin the lines and give a short illusion of slimness. But for the first time in ages, Aizen remembered that day when he threatened her with death and when she stated fearlessly that, she knows him. If she had really known him, she would have dashed like a frightened child in her mama's arms.

A sight and then his job continued as a brown lustful gaze slipped downwards lingering on the message encrypted on her tank top's back. He forced a soft smile, which resembled an evil smirk more than anything else did, when he noticed the white letters and the calligraphy of a writing machine.

'_**Death god**__, huh?_' he thought as his hand jerked to follow the white pattern, but stopped before doing it 'So _ironic_'

His eyes continued to fall over her hips, taking in account the slim waist and not so wide hips, but being rewarded with a plump backside. She wasn't exaggerated in that department, but the black and overly tight pants she was wearing weren't really leaving much space for the imagination. Not that Aizen was bothered by it and leather really suited her, but he clearly didn't appreciate the looks she was getting from other man.

He did send a couple of nasty glares at the ones that dared to leer at her.

"So, do you like my dress, Aizen-kun?" Asked Yuzu smiling innocently.

Aizen was brought back by Yuzu's question and he damned her again for interrupting his trail of thoughts.

"Of course, Kurosaki-san! It fits you, perfectly" he mirrored her smile, bowing his head slightly forward as a sign of content.

'_Too bad it is pink_' he couldn't stop from thinking as he took his date's appearance into consideration.

Yuzu was clearly a beautiful woman, with many suitors, who was used to receive gifts and delicate declarations of love, but, like some say, looks aren't enough. So, even if she was indeed gorgeous, Karin was the only one that could wake him up … in many ways.

"Aizen-kun and Kurosaki-san my ass" mumbled the raven haired girl, making Aizen smirk.

They were so different; complete opposites. Somehow they reminded him of the temperamental Kuchiki Rukia and the always naïve Hinamori Momo.

Meanwhile Karin was mentally screaming and kicking viciously a voodoo doll that held a close resemblance with her ex-friend: red hair and brown eyes, but a head stuffed with straws. She tried to rip his head off, but the damn thing wasn't moving a centimeter. All these imaginative things were happening in her inner self, since on the outside she was busy trying to keep her mouth firmly shut, or she was sure to upset her twin.

If this wasn't enough, Yuzu began a strange discussion about how cute had been Ichigo as a little child. Who talks about her brother on a date… but then again, who takes her sister on a date.

Over all this, she had no idea of the beautiful view she gave to Aizen. Her round rear seemed to be the main interest of the evening and by moving like a storm through haystacks, Karin clearly worsened the situation. Not that Aizen minded.

Finally, after a long walk, the trio arrived at the agglomerated club.

One hour later, Aizen was staring at his drink, being bored and sick of the loud rhythm that banged against the walls and into his unprotected ears. Luckily, for him Yuzu was gone at the toilette to refresh her makeup, or so she said, leaving him alone in a crowd of hormonal teenagers. At least he had the drink to keep him company, since his real date was too busy with her appearance to notice him.

She was a simpleminded creature, so why bother. It was a Kurosaki main attribute to act like that.

When he was about to go ask for another glass of …he had no idea what was that dark liquid's name, but surely it wasn't tea … something caught his eye. It was Karin squeezing through the front door, but only after she had assured herself that nobody saw her hasty retreat.

Curious to know what she was trying to accomplish by leaving the club in the middle of the night, he followed her, being careful not to attract any unwanted attention. His stealth steps got him outside on the wide porch, where he distinguished her form on the blurry background of stars.

_To be continued_

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Here it is …chapter 13. 13 have been my lucky number for as long as I know *laugh* ironic. I tried to make this one funny, but the next one won't be. I don't know if you ever had problems with tickling friends (I know I had) but they aren't pleasant and it's rather vexing when you ask them to stop and they won't just because they're having fun. My last chapter wasn't so popular, not that I'm surprised anyway *sigh* Revolation made a good point a few chapters back about Karin not looking like a boy since in the manga Tite Kubo gave her boobs, so I tried to explain it.

Sorry for the wordiness (I new word I learned from my beta … I love her so much T_T)

In the next chapter I'll be forced to change the rating in M; I'll post a warning at the beginning anyways. Btw how do you find Rukia's new haircut?


	14. Unwanted kiss

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter had been beta-ed by Cittyno2 (thank you very much). If you find any mistakes, it's her fault (not mine). I may have exaggerated in this one, but it's very important not to forget that Aizen is truly an atrocious villain.

**Warning: **This chapter contains some M-rated material plus Aizen's cruelty.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 14: Unwanted kiss**

"_I got my defenses up so no man would ever be able to get over them …_

_Toshiro was the last one … nobody would ever find a special place in my heart … never ever_"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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There, on the porch, a beautiful girl was watching the stars and the bright full moon with mid interest. Something else was clearly occupying her mind and this could be read in her dark orbs of shiny glister.

"Karin" his salute came out as a whisper.

But when she turned around in order to see the person that greeted her, facing him with that powerful gaze, everything broke. The world stopped gravitating around the Sun, time halted its irreversible flow and life began to take a new shape. A loud and annoying rhythm was banging against the walls, but Aizen didn't care about the people inside and their lousy taste in music. All he wanted, needed was there, reflected in his chocolate brown eyes.

The moon ran over the pale marble face, slipping over her smooth skin, surrounding the beautiful pair of eyes and focusing its light on the rosy lips.

Aizen stepped forward, driven by a strong impulse of want and guided by the shiny stars glistering above their heads. One of his hands left its place and moved over the pale cheek, feeling the silky texture underneath the roughness of its long fingers. So soft … too soft for someone that played in dust all day and climbed in trees to seek the comfort she couldn't find at home. And everything seemed so unreal, illuminated by fabulous wonder and engulfed in an aura of mystery.

The hand slipped downwards onto the frail neck, following the zigzag pattern left by the moon's reflection between the naked branches of the autumn's stripped oaks. Blood pulsed through veins in a rabid rhythm, alerting Aizen of the vividly beating heart resting inside her thoracic cavity. The index finger, pressed firmly onto her pulse point, was pulsating along with every heartbeat that pumped the red liquid inside her veins. All together, she was clearly feeling something deep and powerful, because nothing else could make her heart go crazy like that. He even tilted her chin upwards connecting their eyes into an everlasting dance.

If there was something the villain desired more than anything, then that thing was without a trace of doubt this feisty girl with dark marine eyes.

To say Karin was stunned by the sudden gesture of affection was a statement, but somehow she was being highly flattered by it. Those deep and shiny brown eyes wanted, lusted, desired, but it was the drop of insanity hidden inside them that attracted Karin the most. Not ever had a man looked at her the way Aizen was, apparently, looking and none dared to touch her so intimately. However, he was doing it without her consent and no matter how much was his _loving _action stroking her ego, there was still a part of her that couldn't get over this tiny fact.

"Take your hand off me," she snarled while slapping away the invading hand "Don't you dare touch me ever again!"

The moment his hand left its former place, Karin regretted the sudden loss of warmth. That didn't mean her threats were less real or anywhere near harmless. Kurosaki Karin was a creature of life, created only to live in wildness and freedom; a force of nature, a hurricane that could come down any moment and destroy everything in its path. Powerful, crazy, beautiful and courageous … a dangerous combination of attributes.

Aizen couldn't say anything, because it was nothing else to say. Nothing else to clear up.

"Why do you always try to fuck around with my head like this Aizen!" she asked loudly, searching his eyes for an answer that has yet to come.

Her voice thundered into his ears like a roar from a ferocious Hollow, but he could tell she was falling apart with every second she stood there yelling at him. His earth brown eyes lost the previous hard edge and took on a softer chocolate shade. In that moment she was just an innocent child, standing before a man and asking an impossible question, asking for something he couldn't give her. A reason for his actions … and truthfully he had no idea why did he act like this.

"First you mess around with Yuzu, now you're trying to screw with my head..."

Her voice became low and raspy. Aizen caught sight of her fists, clenching and digging into the palms of her delicate flesh. The former overlord was tempted to hold those pale hands in his own or at least have them gripping onto him with wild abandon.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME, SAMAKI!"

Her question was soon answered as Aizen swiftly swept her from behind, putting a strong arm on her waist and taking her in until their lips collided. She was forced by Aizen's impressive height to stand on her toes as she let his gentle but longing kiss engulf her rosy lips. He titled his head, bumping their noses in the process, but not noticing because of the soft sensation her plushy lips were leaving onto his rough ones.

She stood completely still, unsure if she should push him away or kiss him back...

It was plainly obvious that she harbored some deep feeling for the red haired computer retard, but at the same time, she feared feeling anything for anyone, besides her family. Anything related to the subject of love was doomed to end in tragedy and since her luck with man was approaching rapidly zero, it was just as clear as her decision. She won't let him past her defenses, because it was too much at stake; even some things she wasn't eager to give up.

The hand resting on her lower back sneaked under the blackish tank top, drawing circles on the feeble skin. At the same time, a warm something pressed just between her barely parted lips, seeking a way in. Karin clenched her jaw even harder, blocking any passage inside her mouth.

It was one of the rare moments Aizen regretted his indecision and stupid hesitation. As a result of her actions, the man growled while his lips were still firmly pressed at the corner of her mouth.

"Why do you resist me, Karin?" He whispered against her heated skin, as hot breaths hit her cheek "When all you want is being perfectly played before your eyes"

Her short fingers dug painfully in his neck, pushing him backwards, away from her body. She just wanted him as far away as possible, not caring about his feelings or anything else.

"Because you are a bastard that believes only in himself and doesn't care for anything but himself" she snarled with hate and disgust as Aizen loosened his grip on the tiny waist "A narcissist that has the audacity to think he's a god, when in reality he's just a human being seeking for greatness" this time Karin shook the foreign hand and took a welcomed step back "You use the objects around you, you use human beings, you use everything and whenever you feel like it. I have seen how you have manipulated Yuzu and our soccer teammates … and they have played like fiddles on your skilful hands."

Aizen stepped forward, but Karin mirrored his movement in reverse. Not the actual movement scared Karin, but the strange light reflected inside his brown eyes. In that, moment he looked like a predator staking his pray and clearly wanting something more than worlds.

Weren't her statements supposed to wake up anger and hate inside him? Then why was he approaching her with the ferocity of a wild animal that wants, desires its pray.

"I'm gonna tell you once, so listen carefully "this was her last attempt of a comeback "I won't be used"

Her eyes were bugging him; that liquid fire that burned in her dark blue orbs was pissing him off. It was the end of the road and for the first time Aizen gave up the last drop of sense and relied on instinct alone. He had waited long enough … after all, he was a man with limited patience.

"I don't plan to use you" the lusty glance he had sent, forced her to take another step back because of its intensity "You cannot be used by anyone, because you're too damn stubborn."

She tried to avoid his hand, but he grabbed her arm forcefully and threw her against the wall. Karin felt the pain that crossed her back, but she was far more afraid of his purely lustful gaze. She squirmed under his powerful grasp, but any effort was in vain, because he wasn't loosening the hold even for a mere second.

A feeling of pure terror took over her when his tall frame joined hers against the wall. If before she had been afraid she won't be able to escape his trap, now she was terrified because she had no way out, especially with him standing in her way. As a last resort, Karin tried to push him backwards by bracing herself against his broad shoulders, but his other hand, the one that wasn't on her wrist, encircled her tiny waist bringing their bodies together in unity again.

"But even wild beasts can be tamed" He spoke huskily, breathing heavily on her neck.

Aizen was acting all on instinct and that could be clearly seen in his blurred eyes and wide smirk. His behavior was different from before. He was rougher in his movements and touches and his grip was firmer than steel, not leaving any escape route or weak point visible.

The hand on her waist tightened its hold and this time Karin groaned in pain as her whole body was being squashed between the wall and Aizen's hard chest. She squirmed some more and her struggles became more erratic when his mouth attacked her left shoulder, the top's strip slipping on her milky skin …

He was biting unmercifully on her bones, her neck, and what happened to be in his way, digging his teeth in her sensitive flesh and leaving deep marks of desire behind them. Somewhere in him mind he registered that this was a man's way of marking something as his property, women being included in the equation, but he didn't realize that it was a prehistoric kind of thinking. He just wanted to make Karin his in every possible way.

Was it normal to want something as desperately as he wanted this pathetic human?

"Let me go!" Roared Karin in his ear pushing him even harder. She had no chance against his superior brute force, but she was giving him a fight worthy of a thousand Shinigami, which was turning him on even more.

Meanwhile Aizen found the soft skin that covered her neck, but he buried his face in the crook where her neck and shoulder met, licking her skin sensually in well-proportioned circles. His other hand had freed her wrist and was now behind her neck angling it at his own wish. Karin lost her mind for a second, burying her hands in his disheveled hair and blessing his ears with a well-deserved deep and carnal moan of pleasure.

Taking this as a sign of benevolence, Aizen moved the target on her fragile throat, where he sucked hungrily like a greedy creature that wanted everything from the helpless woman in his arms. The soft skin tasted like apples, a good reminder for their time together and her hair smelled like wild forest intoxicating his senses and clouding his judgment even more.

Sweet, wild, beautiful, innocent, chocolate, pine, apples … too many sensations to distinguish between them and too many tasty flavors to chose from. Too much passion and lust on Aizen's part!

A delicious aroma of a sweet, but subtle perfume enveloped his nostrils. Trying to find out where did the catchy odor came from, Aizen sniffed just under her ear reaching the faint aroma that was still lingering there. She had, probably, perfumed herself just before coming to the party.

With one hand entangled in his red locks and the other dug in his scapula, Karin could barely distinguish the sounds she was emitting. Another soft lick, just under the ear, brought her back making her realized how incredibly compromising was their position.

"Mhh …Let me go!" She yanked at his hair, hoping to remove his lips or at least to stop them from ascending further along her neck.

Feeling the violent tug of his hair, which apart from annoying him was breaking his concentration, Aizen grabbed her hands forcing her to let go. She struggled, but he was far more powerful and impossible to beat once started. He pinned the rebel hands by her sides, being bound to release her waist, but it didn't matter, since his chest was functioning as an unbreakable clench for her body.

The girl continued to resist him, even if the power in her hands was slowly decreasing, being replaced by reiatsu infused kicks. True, she couldn't control them properly and with her clouded mind, this task was infinitely harder.

While Karin was attempting to find a way out of this tangled situation, Aizen attacked her lips fervently, pushing his mouth against hers in a bruising kiss. It was the second time he touched the soft flesh of her mouth and this time he dared to take one full minute in tasting her fully and carefully. Again, a multitude of flavors rolled into his mouth, the only one he could recognize being a mixture of apples with strawberries.

Her hands gripped his, shaking uncontrollably and indirectly asking him to stop these forceful actions, but he ignored her again. His lips parted slightly molding themselves against hers. Still he got no response from Karin, who was one-step closer from having a total breakdown. Anything seemed useless and in that, moment she prayed to god for someone to come out and save her … but no one came.

Her legs were stuck in an unbreakable grip between his and any movement involving her hands was impossible due to a similar state of limpness. The soft meat of his tongue traced the outline of her lips, burying them in the greasy moisture of his saliva.

Then a brilliant idea formed in Karin's mind.

'_Calm down_' again very hard with Aizen squashing her like a sandwich between himself and the wall '_And … hope it will work and he'll take the bait_' she snarled silently somewhere deep inside her throat '_Calm, calm, calm …_' she repeated over and over again.

She opened her mouth, slowly, feeling excruciatingly helpless when a foreign tongue invaded her defenseless cavity. A wave of nausea hit her stomach, being intensified when she realized how weak was her state in comparison to Samaki's. But she got over her short moment of self-pity, gathering all the force she could muster in one last try … and she bit down, her teeth digging like knives in his tongue.

"Argh!" howled Aizen, detaching himself from her frail form "What the …"

But he wasn't able to finish the sentence because Karin interrupted him with a well-aimed kick in the nuts. Her right foot made contact with his unprotected groin, sending him on his knees, literally. He gave a low grunt of pain as he slipped into a bend position grabbing the abused area and cursing every god that created _the _man with such an obvious weakness.

"Don't you ever touch me again!" Sputtered Karin taking a hesitant step back.

Still, her movement was halted by a strangled voice belonging to the kneeling teen.

"Do you think I'll let you leave after this?" And he bent forward seizing her wrist "You are mine…" his eyes sparkling with want.

Suddenly Aizen felt an atrocious pain in his left cheek as Karin's palm made contact with it in a loud slap. Skin hit skin and he was compelled to let go of her arm, bringing one hand over his cheek as a cover. The cold palm touched the hot and sore skin underneath it, forcing a pained hiss out of his mouth.

When his brown irises made contact with hers, hatred was the only thing he was able to see inside them. He tried to say something, but it was already too late to apologize and even an honest sorry seemed overestimated in that moment. And if this wasn't enough, Aizen felt a painful tug in his pants, alerting him of a third party's waking up.

Wasn't that kick supposed to be a turn off, because his junior didn't seem to agree with this simple logic. He was very lucky that in that bend position, Karin couldn't see the front of his pants, or another kick in the nuts would have been bound to happen …again.

Still, her straight and confident posture, standing in front of him with those fearless eyes, got him even harder, but he tried to conceal this fact by glaring dangerously up at her. As a response, Karin narrowed her eyes slightly just before a loud shriek penetrated their ears. It was a car's alarm that started because of a dog that happened to approach it, sniffing the ground for a good marking place.

"I am not yours" she roared, ignoring the annoying noise "We are over, Aizen; along with anything that might have happened between us in this last month. I don't want to see you ever again" fire burned in her eyes as her lips parted slightly "And stay away from my twin sister, or I swear my brother won't be the only one at your throat"

Her steps echoed through the darkness, slamming against the pavement and losing themselves in the sable shadows of the night. If it hadn't been for that last sentence, Aizen would have followed her, probably doing something, he might have regretted the next morning, but he didn't.

His mind had been blocked from any strenuous activity, being occupied with this new piece of information. A piece of information he didn't want to believe, even if all the factors pointed directly at it, screaming of its genuineness. The frown that resembled Ichigo's, her unusual protectiveness over the Kurosaki girl, the monstrous mass of spiritual energy she possessed, the strange fire that burned inside her being, the close resemblance she held with her father … all of this should have alerted him of this.

Even now, with all these facts tossed in front of him, he couldn't believe it. To be blinded by circumstances was one thing, but he was a genius at planning … he should have seen it coming from a mile, yet he did not.

The man rose from the ground, using the wall as support, shaking with barely controlled anger; anger at himself for being fooled by a human girl, anger at Karin for daring to oppose him and even deny him what he wanted and the last, anger at his body for reacting so badly at a simple excitement.

His gigai was clearly malfunctioning, because it was no way in hell he was supposed to be so aroused, especially after receiving a kick like that in the soft side.

However, his agglomerate mind wasn't doing him any good, because every single cell of his body was yelling after the sudden loose of warmth. He could almost feel her hands in his hair and her sweet aroma on his lips. If only she had stayed …

Still she was the sister of his enemy and a woman he wanted so desperately that it hurt. Literally, hurt since his groin was starting to ache. He gave a low grunt as something twitched in his pants.

'_Pathetic human body_' he thought, rapidly regaining his balance when he heard the club's door open.

"Hello there man" saluted Tony, the attractive attacker and one of his so called friends "You look kind of ravished."

He was probably referring to the torn collar, the place from where Karin had tried to yank him away, or to the disheveled red hair, or maybe the red palm imprinted on his cheek. The last one was sure to last for at least a couple of days as a dark-blue bruise.

Even with his ruffled appearance, Aizen tried to smile sweetly and he even succeeded in this task.

"Yeah, don't worry."

It worked perfectly, at least until his collocutor saw the obvious bulge in his pants. It was too evident not to be noticed.

"Wow, man. Who got you in this state without finishing the job?" he inquired, laughing at the gatekeeper's predicament "I advise you to go to the bathroom and finish it yourself, because, by the looks of it, it must hurt pretty badly"

"Tell me about it" grumbled Aizen, avoiding any eye contact with Tony. "Could you tell Yuzu that I left early because of a stomachache?"

If Tony found his question anywhere near funny, he kept it hidden, not sharing any kind of sardonic comment, just nodding and adding, with a hint of irony in his voice.

"Of course. Well … pleasant jerking off, my friend"

And the worst part was that he wasn't kidding.

"Tony. What is our captain's surname?" inquired Aizen, struggling to keep his cool.

Sighing and turning around, Tony pointed his stared right into Aizen's chocolate eyes, probably checking if there was at least a tiny trace of sanity left behind.

"You don't know our captain's name?" When the man smiled softly and shook his head, he continued "It's Kurosaki … Kurosaki Karin. Why do you ask?"

"Just curious" said Aizen, realizing that his presumption had been correct.

Tony didn't seem to believe him, but decided to let him go just this once, not forgetting to add mockingly:

"I'll tell Yuzu, don't worry. Captain would kill me if she found out I have let her sister go home with someone half aroused. And I like my face exactly where it is … and my balls, let's not forget about them."

As a goodbye, Tony waved behind him and opened the door stepping through it the next moment, leaving Aizen alone with his own problems.

To think that such a thing could happen to a man that believed to be a god was impossible, yet Aizen knew that his little stunt from tonight had blown off in his face with a spectacular kaboom. But at least he had all the facts he needed and nothing could surprise him anymore. He also had one of Ichigo's sisters in the palm of his hand while the other was still in progress.

A smirk appeared on his face as a dark thought squeezed inside his mind '_Now I want the little minx in my bed more than ever_' but was assaulted by a deep torturous pain in the lower part that worked as a perfect reminder for his little problem down there.

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Karin burst into the house, slamming the door behind her with a loud bang; the door hit the wooden frame shaking up the whole building. It took her only a moment to realize that the house was plunged in total darkness, only the subtle light of the moon passing through the curtains spreading an aura of serenity over the lonely room. The girl sighed in relief when the sudden feeling of distress disappeared into thin air. She had been afraid of what would happen if her dear family was home inquiring her on the unexpected and early return.

She didn't worry about her sister, because someone was sure to bring her home safely; and if Samaki dared to show his face near her ever again, he was in for a big surprise. Still, that astonished expression plastered on his face when she said those things about Ichigo couldn't leave her mind rest one tiny bit. Judging that, it was easy to presume he had no idea of the sibling relationship she shared with Ichigo, but he really looked genuinely unaware of it. Maybe he didn't know, but it made no important difference.

With heavy steps, the girl climbed the stairs, searching for the light switch on the wall. Finally, she found it and after her fingers had pressed the button, a wave of light drowned the hall and the bathroom in its dazzling glim.

"Damn it!" she cursed loudly when the light invaded her eyes, blinding her momentarily. "Fucking light"

She stepped on the wet tiles, losing her balance when her left foot slipped on a wet spot. Luckily, she was saved by the washing machine that worked as support for her falling body. Karin cursed some more, this time her anger being focused on Yuzu and her habit of splashing water around every time she took a bath.

Then her body moved towards the sink, using the bathtub as advantage, where she carefully damped her sweaty face, letting the water flow over her trembling hands and then slamming them against her face. Those hands … hands that had dug into Aizen's scalp; hands that had been pinned to the wall, small hands; fragile hands with short fingers; the total opposite of his callous, powerful and long fingered ones.

With a firm shake of the head, Karin chased away those thoughts, not wanting to think about _him _in that moment. She continued the task of cleaning her face, when, suddenly, her eyes made contact with the mirror, widening in horror at the sight presented in front of them.

Was that a hickey? Oh, yes … it was. And the worst part: it wasn't only one. The whole shaft of her neck was covered in dark bruises and she could almost distinguish one under the ear. Aizen really knew how to mark his precious territory; she had no doubt regarding this fact. Her body trembled slightly when she recollected the previous events that had taken place earlier that night. It would have been untrue to say she didn't enjoy the treatment, but she couldn't forget that he forced her against the wall, that he kissed her without her consent, that he did some things she clearly didn't want to happen.

'_I'll have to use some of Yuzu's makeup to cover these things_' she thought while touching one dark spot, hissing in pain immediately after '_God, they hurt like hell. Maybe I'll use a scarf_'

Her gaze slipped on the left shoulder that was covered in similar dark patterns of bruises, but at least that spot would be concealed by the school uniform.

"Why did you do it, Samaki?" asked Karin, pillowing her head against the cold surface of the sink's rough edge "Why?"

She didn't cry and she wasn't even tempted to do it, but something was breaking inside her every time she remembered that her closest friend wanted her body and nothing more. A pained sob escaped her mouth.

One thing was for sure: Kurosaki Karin was suffering more than she let others think, including herself.

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(_From here on the M stuff begins_)

Leaning against the walls and trying to regain the little dignity he had left, was the only way Aizen could find the strength to walk on the dark alley.

'_I wanna kill her and I wanna fuck her_' thought the man after another incredibly difficult 10 minutes of walking on the dirty pavement '_probably not in this order_' he felt like adding trying to clear up any misunderstanding regarding the necrophilia aspect of the situation. He was overly annoyed and some would say in a killer mood, because of the painful tug in his pants.

However noting could compare with the shame of knowing that he had been refused by none other than Kurosaki Ichigo's little sister and he clearly didn't want to remember that painful kick under the belt he had just received from her. He took a deep breath calming his raging nerves.

Finally, he saw a dark alley, which looked abandoned and small enough to serve his purposes.

With extra care, Aizen slipped inside, checking if anyone was in the area. When his search concluded in a negative response, he slowly started to unzip his pants. It proved to be a difficult task, because every time he tried to pull it down, unwanted images appeared in his head. Even Zeus needed his fair share of sex, so why would he be different from the all mighty king of Olympian Gods.

"Hello, gorgeous "a woman's voice echoed perfectly in the closed space "You seem to have a little problem" and she pointed at his half opened zipper "Or maybe it's a big one, judging the size. Do you need some help with it, baby?"

"What?" He tried to look serious, even if his mind was clearly somewhere else.

"I'm one of the cheapest" she winked at him.

'_A prostitute_' suddenly realized Aizen.

At least some things didn't seem to differ between Soul Society and The Human World. As his old captain used to say: it is the oldest job on Earth.

"So, what do you say?" She snapped him right out of it.

With the corner of his eye, Aizen checked out her appearance, talking in the long black hair and equally dark eyes. She would serve the purpose and maybe even be a great replacement for the one he really wanted to _do_. But for some reason he didn't want to dirty himself with the likes of a prostitute.

"Get down" she followed his instructions, kneeling before him "You know what to do from here on."

The woman smirked and slowly touched the zipped, pulling it down in order to reveal the boxers underneath it. She dragged her middle finger across the dark material drawing a round pattern along the edges, before actually pulling _it _out. The object of her attention popped out.

"You are so gifted, gorge…"

But she couldn't continue, because Aizen's long fingers buried themselves deeply inside her black locks, pulling at her hair and forcing the foreign object inside her opened mouth. If she was uncomfortable with his roughness, she didn't say anything about it; not that she would have been able to talk anyway.

Still, Aizen was too drowned in the multitude of sensations crossing through his body, to feel anything else, like his hand tangled in the woman's hair pushing her forward and yanking her back in a slow rhythm. Nor did he hear the name slipping by his lips at regulate intervals of time. Too bad that this time it wasn't any apple aroma lingering in the air that could remind him of Karin; he was being rewarded only with the horrid stench of rotten food coming from the mountains of garbage deposited in dumpsters and the bitter smell of sex … and neither of them was satisfactory.

After she had finished pleasuring him, the woman wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, scrubbing the last remains of cum left there. She even took a mirror out of her handbag, checking her appearance and brushing away one last dirty portion of skin with an equally dirty handkerchief.

"This woman, Karin, is very lucky "she said while stuffing the two items back inside the tiny bag.

"Huh?" He interjected while pulling up the zipper of his pants.

"She's lucky to have a gorgeous man like you" she answered his question, blaming the previous intimacy for his inattentiveness "You kept on mumbling her name throughout our session with so much fervor that you have almost scared me"

When Aizen didn't show any sign of answering, she felt like adding one last time:

"She is lucky. And you are pretty lengthy as well"

Something clicked inside Aizen. All the surpassed anger he had felt after being rejected so brutally by the woman he, dared to say, wanted combined with shame regarding that woman's shabby relatives, resulting into an atrocious smirk of hate. Then it turned into a sweet smile of kindness that took the prostitute by surprise, but it didn't last long.

"You think she's lucky?" A hand lunched at her throat, pinning her in the opposite wall "She's the unluckiest woman alive, because what I had planned for her will finally break that powerful spirit of hers"

The woman struggled to get free and even screamed for help, but it was all in vain since Aizen's hand had covered her mouth, working as a gag, long before she could share with the world what was really happening there.

"She had dared to reject me and she'll pay the price for this insolence soon enough" his hand squeezed even harder as the woman squirmed in one last attempt of tying to find her breath "I want to break her so much"

"Please …" she finally found the strength to beg, tears forming in her big dark eyes. "Please … do not … eghh … kill"

However, Aizen ignored her pleading tone, clenching her neck even tighter.

"You think she's lucky? Reconsider your opinions woman." That smile, that beautiful smile played on his lips, screwing with whatever sanity this woman had left in herself "I'll kill her like an animal, just because she's the sister of my enemy and just because I want to fuck her so badly" his grip loosened considerably "Maybe I'll do them both, but before that …"

And he turned around, throwing her in the opposite wall. The loud cracking noise of her skull smashing against the bricks reminded Aizen of the good days he had spend in Hueco Mundo. Blood spattered from the wound painting the background in an intense color of crimson. A drop hit the man's face, right over his eyebrow, losing its shade under the bush of red hair.

In one last attempt of redemption, the black haired prostitute tried to rise from the ground and she almost succeeded, until Aizen slapped her across the face with the back of his hand, sending her right back into the wall. This time she collided with the barrier of concrete without any visible damage, but nor did she feel anything, being already numb after the first hit. Still she sobbed loudly, knowing the cruel fate that was waiting for her.

"I'm going to kill you" he stated, smiling softly down at the bundle of clothes.

Moreover, his eyes held a metallic edge of insanity, mirroring a crude desire to kill.

"Why?" She mumbled, spitting blood from the gaped mouth "WH …" she almost screamed, but a gagging sensation stopped her as another wave of a crimson-red liquid disgorged from her throat.

"Because right now, in my eyes, you are her" that merciless voice echoed between the two walls, losing its meaning in the ears of a woman that could barely breathe, let alone listen to a savage creature as he explained his point of view "And because you are useless, so …"

He suddenly grabbed a broken metal pipe, thrown carelessly in a dumpster and spun it skillfully through his long fingers, loosing himself in the well-known sensation. It was almost like spinning a sword, minus the beautifully sharp edge that could go thought meat like a knife through butter. After one moment of recollection, the silent rotation stopped and the devious word left his mouth sealing the woman's fate.

"Goodbye"

"NOOO!" she screamed painfully, even if she was sure of her imminent fatality.

But it was already too late. The pipe got through her chest, ripping flesh and skin, then into her heart, stopping into the alley's rough asphalt, silencing her forever.

The ex-captain watched as blood dripped down on the pavement, spreading slowly in a pool of red liquid right at his feet. In his unnumbered decades of existence, he had seen many things from small scratches to bloody baths of terror so this sight didn't impress him. Over this, the woman's lips trembled as a line of blood dripped from the corner of her mouth over the chin and onto the asphalt, creating another crimson puddle. As always Aizen looked bored and annoyed by the red liquid staining the bottom of his shoes.

It was dire to think that such a man existed, but it was even worse when that man didn't care for the soul he had just destroyed … permanently.

With a nonchalance rarely seen, even at the cruelest criminals, Aizen threw the weapon back into the dumpster, not caring for fingerprints and stuff like that, and left the scene without even sparing a look back at his dying victim. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his trousers, thinking of tea and if he had, any chance of finding a teashop opened at that hour.

Leaving that place without finishing the job was his one and only mistake; a mistake that will hunt him, because a spirit's blurry form took shape behind him impersonating a tall woman with long dark hair. A chain was dangling from her chest, hitting a metal plate attached to her busty front.

It was the spirit of the woman he had just killed.

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I hope you're not killing me right now …have mercy!

I wanna thank saya who reminded me something very important regarding this story's possible ending. Thank you very much! (Side note: I didn't like crack parings either, until _Prize of Victory_). And let's not forget about Shadownia Clow who wrote the first kiss, while the rest of it is my _work of art_. The second part may have seemed somehow exaggerated, but notice that I didn't get into details … and for good reasons. I wanna send a warm thank you to all my reviewers that gave me the impulse to continue writing.

Hope you enjoyed and this chapter is one of the few dark ones I have in store for this story.

… I think chapter 15 may be postponed. I'm a little angsty right now, but I'll get over it; time erases everything.


	15. An unexpected day

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter had been beta-ed by Cittyno2 (thank you very much). If you find any mistakes, it's her fault (not mine). I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To b****reak is all I know**

**Chapter**** 15: An unexpected day**

"_Dear diary,_

_You probably know about my infatuation for the white haired captain, judging how many times I wrote about it on your pages … but for the first time in ages I come with a solution._

_Solution you may ask … Yes a solution!_

_I'm going to see if he cares for me as a friend or, if I'm lucky, more than that._

_How?_

_I made this truce with Jinta (please don't remind me that I had to communicate with that asshole, piece of shit that has a tomato instead of a brain) anyway … we decided to test Toshiro and Yuzu, see if they like/love us._

_I know it's a stupid thing to do and I'm aware of the fact that if Yuzu really loves Jinta I'll have to live with it, but truth to be told … they look fine together. Yuzu is too innocent and he can really protect her from this big flaw of hers. Also it's so easy to see him putting even his precious life on the line for her. I may never tell him this, but I trust him with my sister's well being and he's also the only one I feel comfortable to leave her with. He may act like a big mouthed lout, but he's a gentle soul with too much free time on his hands, if I might add._

_Back to the subject: This test I spoke you of is fairly simple: we'll go on a date … yes me and Jinta. Don't laugh, because it's not funny!_

_If Yuzu loves Jinta she'll probably react badly, cry or sulk for eternity. If Toshiro loves me he'll murder Jinta and bury him somewhere in Soul Society. Simple as ABC!_

_Poor little Jinta got the short end of the deal, right? Right?_

_A crying Yuzu TT_TT Maybe I got the short end after all."_

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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After a long night, full of nightmares and evil Samakis threatening her with execution and death, the bright sunrise appeared at the window, spreading its rays of light into the previously dark room. The annoying glister of the mirror's refection burned a soft spot on Karin's covered neck. It had gotten through the thick material of an old scarf she had found the night before in one of Yuzu's old drawers and was itched like nothing else.

"Mhh!" she grumbled, turning on the other side in order to escape the irritating focused light.

Finally she found a protected spot on the bed's edge, a relatively safe place, where the sun couldn't reach her little frame. It was fairly dangerous since even the slightest move could disrupt the unstable balance making her tumble like a rock on the floor.

"Good Morning, Karin!" yelled a familiar voice.

'_I'm gonna kill him. I swear_' she cursed mentally as her whole body toppled over the bed's edge, rotating at an awkward angle before hitting the hard parquet with a painful thud. With one hand twisted under one leg, leg that was carelessly thrown over her neck, Karin could have been mistaken for an overly tangled knot '_Motherfucker_' thought Karin while trying to unfold the rebel leg, which decided, on its own free will, to aggravate the situation by getting numb.

"Do you have a problem there, my dear? Can I help you with anything?" asked the attentive father, not noticing the object coming right his way.

"GO TO HELL" she screamed as her other foot made contact with Isshin's jaw "and stay there" she added as the said person flew in the ceiling, falling on Yuzu's desk; the object cracked under the strenuous pressure not supporting the man's (many) kilograms. He hanged there a couple of seconds, before rolling down on his knees and looking more tired than before.

Meanwhile Karin had found the strength to pull her leg over her head in a normal position. Her limbs strained and she stretched her back painfully, hearing a crack from somewhere between the shoulder blades. Still, the best part has yet to come, as the man (that was supposed to be her father) began to jump like a kangaroo around the room, probably preparing for an occult dance. Karin could only hope that it won't be the rain dance again, because she was sick of hearing his prays to the sky, to the moon, to the dawn, to the dick … err minus the last one. Maybe next time they'll spare him a _brain_, because he was in grave need of one.

"My daughter … you have exceeded my expectations!" He cried dramatically, moving his hands in wild gestures probably imitating a ritual of some sort. "You are indeed your brother's sister. I am so proud. See I'm crying" anime rivers of water run down his cheeks, stopping somewhere under the chin.

The girl had always wondered how could he cry at command. There were some things she just couldn't understand about her old man's strange behavior.

"Dad … I'm not in the mood, ok?" She felt like adding before any other father-daughter scene could take place "So please go play with Ichigo or something"

Still the man was unapproachable in his decision, throwing into oblivion any inhibitions he may harbored before that and began rambling about wanted and unwanted things, especially unwanted.

"But you are so powerful and strong and maybe soon I'll have some grandchildren" Karin was tempted to ask '_Who gave you this stupid idea … and children as in more than one?_' but stopped knowing that her father came with crazy grandsons fetishes every day "But do not forget this simple rule. I want a strong future son in law, powerful and capable of sustaining my good mornings. And he has to be handsome, like me"

"You are anything but handsome" commented the always sarcastic raven top.

"Also he has to … hmm" he scratched his pointy chin, probably thinking of a way to soften/censure what was about to come out, "have a strong sperm, so he would be able to fertilize the ovule"

Or maybe he was just trying to make it grosser than usual.

"I'm gonna puke" mumbled Karin, while her face took on a light shade of green, which transformed into yellow after hearing her father's all so intelligent sequel.

"And let's not forget about strong hands, so he could fondle my babies" he hugged himself, dancing from one foot to the other

Karin rubbed her temples, trying to banish all the dark thoughts that inspired her of some pretty interesting new ways of killing Isshin and sighed in apprehension.

"Like I'll let anyone touch Yuzu. And since when does _fondle_ qualify as an appropriate word to be used in front of your daughter?" she barked, meaning to scare that annoying relative of hers.

"I wasn't talking about my sweet, beautiful flower, Yuzu" and he pointed at Karin's chest, precisely at her bust, imitating a grope with both his hands.

A vein popped and her eyebrow twitched.

"I"LL KILL YOU!" She roared, this time jumping on her father like a cat and straddling his hips as some pretty painful punches dug in the said man's face. "And leave my breasts out of it"

Bang!

Slap!

Bang!

Isshin dodged a kick aimed at his nose, only delaying the inevitable, but couldn't avoid the elbow cracking through his sternum and, literally, taking his breath away. He coughed something white that Karin didn't want to name and continued with his foolish task of being a pest.

"But fondling breasts is pleasurable. Did I tell you that your mother liked to be caressed, especially…"

"I don't want to hear it! I can live without this piece of information"

BOOM!

Why did he have to approach this subject this specific morning, when she was desperately trying to forget the previous night and all that happened outside the club. Why was divinity trying to screw with her every fucking single time? She didn't need to hear her father's useless ramble about children and that gross stuff which involved their making; the anatomy lessons were enough of a scare. She just needed a good night sleep before going to school and meeting Aizen face to face. Too bad Isshin obviously had other plans, like annoying her into beating the crap out of him until no white spot would be seen on his skin. Checked.

"But my daughter …" struggled Isshin to say.

"Don't want to hear it"

And she punched him in the nose, burying his face under a splash of blood. He chocked with some of it, while erratically waving his hands above his head, probably another strange ritual of his. It never crossed his mind to turn over and cough out the red liquid inside his lungs. But then again, what mind?

On the other side of the room, the bundle of sheets which covered the blonde haired twin shifted slightly leaving a hand stretch above them. Long fingers lingered in the air as rays reflected on her pink polished nails emphasizing their unreal beauty. Then she lifted her abdomen slowly, while the cover slipped over her generous chest settling onto her lap.

"Did this ruckus made by _him_ wake you up, Yuzu?" asked Karin, indirectly apologizing for the loud noise that might have disturbed her sister's beauty sleep.

Still slumbering her way to reality and being more asleep than awake, Yuzu raised her gaze, staring at Karin with half lidded eyes. A yawn found its way on her mouth and she was tempted to go back to sleep, if her father didn't find appropriate to attack her.

"My daughter is awake" and he jumped in her bed cuddling by her side "She's a beautiful child that loves me with all her heart, not like you and Ichigo." he pouted at the other twin, who rolled her eyes in desperation.

"Yuzu loves everybody, even the mosquito that bit her two days ago" replied Karin, moving forward to separate the lecherous father from her defenseless sister.

After she had reached the bed, Karin snatched Isshin by the collar of his pajamas and dragged him after her, out of Yuzu's bed, while the man was crying and praying mercy from his merciful daughter. He even seized Yuzu's arm staring at her with watery eyes, but Karin yanked him away with her brute force and threw him through the door via a kick in the nuts.

"Why are you so mean to your father. The one who gave you life, the one and only star in the sky …" began Isshin while collecting parts of his body from under the door's ruins.

Although he tried to rise from the ground, some splinters, that found his butt very attractive, dug even more into the man's rear. He sobbed silently as his backside was subjected to an unfair treatment combining with the excruciating pain of being unable to move an inch.

"But father" interrupted the blonde girl, not even remotely affected by her father's obvious suffering "Our mother gave us life"

"You just contributed with the … Y chromosome … in Ichigo and X in us … fuck genetics" completed Karin enraged by Isshin sudden parental predisposition.

"Karin, why did you take my red scarf?" exclaimed Yuzu when she finally saw the interesting article wrapped tightly around the girl's neck and noticed the asymmetrical knot at its end.

"Err … fashion" babbled Karin, masking her embarrassment quite well for someone who wasn't used to lie.

"Fashion?" the two family members asked, Isshin with a strangled voice and Yuzu clearly surprised.

Karin coughed dramatically into her hand, turning around and fingering with a book's cover. She avoided any eye contact with the hungry gazes digging into her back, burning her flesh with their curiosity.

"Yes I want to look more girly. Do you have a problem with that?" she snapped back at them, twitching her neck to in order to send them a warning through an exaggerated frown.

…

The two family members stared like two idiots at the third presence, incredulous expressions lingering onto their faces. Isshin tumbled back onto the heap of wood while Yuzu muffled a snicker, by covering its source.

"If you keep on staring at me like that I'll kick both of you to the moon and back!" barked Karin.

They averted their gazes, finding something else to stare at.

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"I'm wearing a scarf" Mumbled Karin under her breath. "They do not have to make a big deal out of it. It's not like I didn't wear a scarf …" Her hurried steps halted their advancement as realization hit hard. "I haven't worn a scarf for at least 10 years"

One hand sneaked onto the red cloth touching it with trembling fingers, probably afraid of damaging the already sensitive skin underneath it. Even the slightest contact could make her erupt in a wave of hisses. No wonder the sleepless night that concluded in a nightmare. Every time she had tried to turn on the other side of the bed, her neck hitting the pillow or brushing against its edge by mistake, she would jerk awake like stuck by lightning.

Karin was snapped back into reality by a loud yell.

A strong roar, which probably belonged to a Hollow, echoed by her ear. A sudden burst of energy totally woke her up as she heard heavy steps break the pavement just behind her and the shrill scream of a woman running from the vicious three horned creature. The creature jumped over Karin's head, flexing long kangaroo legs covered in a yellow fur, and blocked the woman's way giving another howl of victory. One claw dug into the woman's torso grabbing the soul inside her and yanking her out of it. Pained screams filled the alley as her chain was snapped in two by sharp fingernails, but before it could break definitely, Karin threw a rock at the creature's head, aiming for his left eye, but hitting the shell of his cat-like ear.

"Here, stupid and ugly Hollow." She waved her hands erratically above her head while she was indirectly asking the woman to run for her life, since she was sure she of her inability to attract its attention for too long. "Come here oversized kangaroo. I'll send you back to Australia-Hell!"

"Grrr" Growled the Hollow, as its gross saliva slipped at the corners of the mouth slavering onto the grass below "Argh!"

With unimaginable power, the kangaroo roared once more releasing a wave of reiatsu. Even if Karin was blessed with natural talent and a tone of spiritual energy, it couldn't compete with that creature's vast experience. The advantage of being faster crumbled as well, because with those legs it was clear she won't be able to outrun him. Karin tried to move backwards, but so she was sent on her knees by a perfectly controlled pressure.

That Hollow was smaller than the usual hollows Karin fought, yet it held more power and control over it than a normal one. A vicious smirk spread on its face as one hand clenched the sword deposited at his waist. It was a big weapon, without any extravagant inscription or pattern on its hilt, except a pink ribbon wrapped around it. The ribbon was keeping the blade attached to the creature's hip replacing the usual sword sheath and being incredibly easy to rip apart.

Karin shuddered when he heard him speak for the first time.

"You thought you could kill me?" His loud laughter shook the ground, giving Karin a sensation of dizziness. "You're a foolish human for thinking you'll be able to defeat an Arrancar. But I didn't come for you"

His right hand left the sword, turning around to finish the job he had started with his other victim, but his face warned Karin she'll be the next one if she didn't run. The woman whimpered when seeing the Hollow that approached her frail form and tried to dash in the other direction, but the chain that kept her linked to her dying body prevented her from running too far anyway. Grinning and seeming genuinely happy for the human's distress caused directly by his malicious actions, the kangaroo stepped on the chain, breaking him under his weight. Finally the woman was free, but not for long, because she was snatched by a pair of claws and brought upwards at his level.

Without any trace of hesitation, Karin followed the kangaroo with feline sharp claws, slowly jumping behind him, careful not to disturb him from whatever he was doing. Her hand lashed at the pink ribbon, ripping it apart and catching the blade after it was freed from the improvised sheath.

"Let's see if you taste as good as you look" cheered the Hollow, licking his plump lips.

"Hey, oversized kangaroo" Screamed Karin from behind him "Did you ever get the feeling you had lost something?"

"I'm not interested in useless ants" he replied, not even turning around to check out his opponent's status, "But if you insist, I'll eat you after this one."

"I wasn't talking about me, you fool. I was referring to your zanpakutou"

She smirked tightening her hold on the hard metal, sensing the hilt's roughness under her fingers. It scratched at her fingers, tearing apart the sensitive skin that covered them, but the Kurosaki girl was too enraged to feel anything else beside bloodlust and hate. When the creature checked for his sword, it was already too late, because Karin had implanted the sharp blade right through the Hollow's chest, aiming for the heart, and this time hitting it.

"You see … I do not have a sword and I hope you didn't mind that I had borrowed yours" She pushed forward slicing through the flesh and being pleased with the laceration she had left in the creature's hard Hierro. "You won't need it anyway. Never let your enemy get behind you"

The Hollow stumbled forward, losing his grip on the woman's limp body along with his precious balance. He tried to lean against a wall, but even to get there seemed impossible in his miserable state.

"If you hadn't been so confident in your abilities, you wouldn't have dropped your guard and maybe I would have been the one dying your pathetic death" her lashing voice attacked the creature's pride, making him snap at her with the last of his forces.

"I wish you to suffer all your pathetic life" He barked as teeth dug into his lips. "I wish you'll never get the happy ending all humans want so desperately. I wish you …" but his words were broken by a sudden light and him disintegrating into tiny particles of light that flew to the sky and then rolled upwards toward the blue canopy, losing themselves in a wave of dead leaves.

Karin sighed and helped the woman up, supporting her body as she stumbled forward. She was still unstable after the trauma of being pulled out of her body then killed and in the end almost digested by a slimy creature with three horns, kangaroo legs and feline appearance. So no wonder she was still unable to walk straight or finish a whole sentence.

"You must have been spiritually aware since you had seen the Hollow" Remarked Karin as the woman trembled into her arms. "Don't worry, the hollow is dead. It won't attack you again"

Karin slowly hushed the woman until her sobs died being replaced by an uncomfortable silence.

While this was happening, a figure hiding in a nearby bush smirked at the soft sight presented in front of his eyes, digging barely visible white fangs into the rough skin of his lips. It was a feral kind of smirk that mirrored the dark desire of brutal instinct hiding inside.

"Interesting … very interesting" he said silently, preparing to emerge from the hiding place and not wanting to alert the two girls of his presence until he was already out "And I hoped Aizen would bite the fucking bait"

But he was stopped by a strong energy coming from his right, a Shinigami's energy. The man gritted his teeth in annoyance, cursing every god for interfering with his, so called, prey. Knowing that it would be extremely dangerous to meet a Shinigami, no matter how tempting fighting one sounded, especially high ranked ones like those he had felt, the man stepped back and disappeared in a sea of black. He would have some fun later, but for now crushing Aizen came in first.

If it was something he was confident of, it was his ability to destroy anyone he desired to, and Aizen was the first on his to-do-list.

Meanwhile Karin felt the rush of adrenaline leave her system, making her sense the fear that was conquering her whole being. She had been afraid of a sudden and spontaneous death, but during the fight she didn't have time to think about all these nonsense, being busy with kicking the hollow's ass and saving the woman, albeit at the last she had failed. Standing as a proof for her failure, further down the street a woman's body was lying lifeless into a pool of blood, resembling a broken doll thrown carelessly onto the ground and destroyed by the impact. The whole scene was a mass of broken bones mixed with already clotted blood.

Karin wondered if stopping the creature from breaking the chain would have solved anything since the woman had been ripped form her human body before she could intervene. It was also the indisputable reality of her material body's miserable state that couldn't be denied.

A tug of sleeve broke the deep concentration and Karin looked at the soul. Her vision suddenly blurred when a wave of energy hit her straight in the face, yet she stood still as three figures Shunpo-edin front of her.

"You are late!" barked the girl as a surge of murderous intent crossed her features "Very late. I hope you do have a good explanation for this, because the one with the traffic jam won't suffice"

A feminine guy snickered at her comment, looking even more girly after this, while the other one, a shaved … rewind … a bald guy frowned at the bloody sight. They were both emanating a high amount of reiatsu, but the one that really amplified the sensation of power was Renji, who was standing in front of her with that canine grin plastered onto his face and looking genuinely surprised to see her there.

"Oh, Karin" saluted the pineapple red head, "I had no idea that I would find you here" and he ignored anything related to the Hollow's destruction.

"Yeah, like we couldn't fell her reiatsu from a mile" Ikkaku spoke angrily as he bumped the empty human body, nudging it with his left foot violently.

Karin decided to overlook this cruelty, knowing that it became a useless piece of meat the moment the spirit left it. Still it was incredibly difficult to watch this strange bald guy as he studied the corpse and probably the way it died.

"Just admit that you wanted to surprise her" Yumichika said, shifting subtly towards Renji and swinging a hand gently in front of the man's grinning face "You are so obvious."

"Why would I want that?" interjected Renji, turning his attention to Ikkaku, who was clearly vexed by the situation.

"The gay looking guy has a good point. I bet you just wanted to grab my legs and turn me upside down, like every morning I oversleep, right?" replayed Karin swiftly "That sounded a little bit odd … and wrong; as in sexually wrong"

When hearing her _gay_ statement, Yumichika threw a rebel strand of hair behind the ear, increasing even more Karin's certainty that he was on the _opposite side_, and studied her from head to toe concluding his research with a short and objective:

"So unbeautiful. Another Kurosaki that cannot understand the true meaning of beauty"

Renji sighed at the man's antiques. He finally decided to take his job seriously, focusing back onto Karin and the woman wrapped tightly around her.

"So care to explain what happened here, Karin?"

"I'll tell you what happened" Snapped the girl, trembling with barely contained anger "I was wandering through town, when this kangaroo-Australian Arrancar attacked this woman and I tried to stop it … him … whatever … but he snapped the chain in two and … You got the idea"

The man scratched the back of his head while the other two listened carefully, being drawn in the conversation by the _Arrancar_ part, Ikkaku especially, who was surely hoping for a good fight with this new Hollow-thingy.

"So where is he? I wanna fight him!" verbally attacked Ikkaku, preparing his zanpakutou and its long sheath swinging them forward and backward in a beautiful dance of proficiency.

"Slow down, cowboy! You don't need to get so worked up" intervened Karin, "and I advise you to stop swinging that thing or you may poke someone's eye out"

When the man's enraged face suggested a total breakdown, Karin deigned to give him the little piece of information that would certainly annoy him, but at least give him some peace.

"It's dead. I stole his sword while he was busy drooling over her" and she pointed at the woman "and stabbed him in the back"

"So unbeautiful" this was Yumichika of course, pronouncing his displeasure regarding the coward-like behavior.

For the Shinigamis of the 11-th Squad a surprise attack was sometimes necessary but frowned upon because of the unbalance it created into the power hierarchy. Their mentality was simple: the winner is stronger while the loser isn't. So instinctively, Yumichika found Karin's way of fighting dirty and unworthy of being praised, which was kind of true. Not that Karin wanted any compliment, but there was something about him that annoyed her beyond words.

"I'll shoot this guy, or whatever gender he may have, if he keeps on vexing me with this unbeautiful fetish of his"

Of course Yumichika ignored her like she was trash.

"Could stop acting like your brother for once" interjected Renji.

"Cannot do that. He's my older sibling and as many use to say, we are very much alike." shrugged Karin, even if she still didn't forgive Ichigo for that scene "By the way shouldn't you use your sword for that burial stuff." after a long pause in which neither of them moved, she rubbed her ear "Urahara gave me a stick to konso souls, but I do not want to use it"

"Why?" asked the red haired Shinigami, rolling the blade into his palm, until the hilt's shaft was facing the woman's forehead.

"Because it's pink and Yuzu glued pink and purple flowers on it." She said, receiving an understanding look from Renji.

He pressed the hilt onto the soul's forehead, leaving behind a strange circle patter that transformed the woman into a black butterfly. Karin watched the spectacle already knowing the plot because it was the n-th time she was seeing the same old performance take place before her eyes. Two black wings dusted a shiny powder onto the girl's cheek, resembling a goodbye kiss of some sort, and she could almost feel a thank you lingering on the butterfly's trail, a thank you directed at her. Suddenly Yumichika's ignorance, Ikkaku's anger and Renji's easiness didn't matter.

"You're welcome" she whispered, being sure that none of the three Shinigami had heard her.

After she had finished paying her respects, silently and without too much fuss, Karin shook the annoying sensation of unhappiness replacing it with content. It was one thing to be sad over a death and another one to be happy over the success of saving a soul from being brutally digested by a monstrous creature.

"Look I gotta go to school." She remarked checking the watch wrapped around her tiny wrist, eyes roaming over the little scratches acquired in the previous conflict. "Anyway goodbye Renji, gay guy, and bald guy. It was nice meeting you all."

Ikkaku threw a tantrum, joggling like a reed in the wind. He was angrier that before and from his point of view it was normal to be pissed at someone that dared to speak (the truth) a bulging lie.

"I AM NOT BALD!"

Karin flicked her wrist and then waved back at them, ignoring Ikkaku and his bald complex.

'_What's with guys and their unresolved complexes? Ichi-nii has a power complex, this guy has a bald complex … hmm … Renji has an inferiority complex, even if he tries to hide it … Samaki has been god-power-manipulation complexed since I met him and Goat Chin' _she made a metal face slap _'is a walking concentration of complexes'_

Karin cursed when she realized she was surrounded by problematic males which had issues they lacked to see and she wasn't eager to point them out, because the last time she tried to do it, didn't work out so well. She sighted loudly when she was far enough from the questioning group and proceeded with the usual task of going to school.

"So … she is the one, eh?" asked the peacock's master "Not too busty and not too attractive either"

"Stop this Yumichika" snapped Renji.

Ikkaku stole a glance at the red haired lieutenant, checking the stiff posture he seemed to take whenever the black haired girl was involved. Even his always careless friend looked sincerely pleased with the little drama that overtook the Shinigami world.

"I was talking about her relationship with Captain Hitsugaya. You don't have to become all touchy with me. It's unbeautiful"

"Her energy is incredible. It reminds me so much of Ichigo's in his good days" Ikkaku ignored his best friend's usual easiness.

"I know" replied Renji, not wanting to answer Yumichika's statement and finding the excuse of explaining to Ikkau the whole problem better than that "And it will get even bigger in due time. We might be able to help her, if Ichigo and his father would stop for a second from this protectiveness"

"Leave them be. If something bad happens, it wasn't our fault" this was again Ikkaku, after a short pause in which he had studied the bloody scene.

"Yeah, what if Aizen finds out about her?" joked Yumichika "What would happen then?"

The other two, switched back onto Yumichika, who was feeling targeted by burning eyes. Renji wasn't too comfortable with the other's sarcastic humor, presenting a forced grin of amusement, when in reality something sneaked like a sly snake into his gut; a bad feeling maybe. Meanwhile Ikkaku humph-ed and sniffed at his friend's overrated sense of jocularity.

"Sometimes you say the stupidest things" he snarled, clearly not in the best of moods.

Yumichika shook his head, exposing a beautiful grimace and equally amazing lips. The sudden gesture of crossing his feminine fingers through the splendid black-blue locks of hair, god blessed him with, gave him a girly appearance, not that he wasn't feminine enough without it.

"I was just fooling around" he jumped as a happy child, but retook a serious demeanor when Ikkaku send him an apprehensive glare "But we did come here with a job, so let's go search for the bastard"

The other two nodded and he could almost see his dear friend share a masked smile with Renji.

"By the way Renji, did you know that Captain Commander will send Captain Hitsugaya to help us?" Yumichika continued, this time smirking wildly at the red head; he even answered Renji's unasked, but obvious, question "In one month and a half"

Yet this didn't stop Renji from bursting in a fit of uncontrolled laughter, the saying of laughing my ass off being pretty accurate in this case. It didn't matter that his Shinigami robes were getting all dirty from rolling like a dog in dirt and blood, but there were some things that even he couldn't filter before laughing them off.

"Really? But I thought he was banished for the unforgivable sin of tainting the all mighty Kurosaki maiden" his bittersweet irony mocking Ichigo, but only after his laughter died down "Ichigo won't know what hit him"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures" Yumichika replied, scratching his chin lightly, probably trying to remember something he seemed to have forgotten. His finger pointed upwards when a light appeared (metaphorically) above his head "And I met this crazy woman that was yelling something about a creep killing her or something. I have sent her to Soul Society, but …"

Yumichika continued to ramble about his incredible experience with the all so lunatic woman, while Ikkaku ignored him again and the other one did the same thing, only more subtle. He was staring at the gay looking Shinigami, forging a gaze of attentiveness, when in reality his mind was elsewhere. One moment of lulling peace embraced them, of course only after Yumichika had finished a detailed report of the spirits he had encountered, as the approaching winter's sun blessed them with much needed warmth and love. However Renji decided to examine the windows, sneaking a peek at the beautiful blue necklace stored into a hand size box, partially covered by red velvet.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" He asked, still looking at the big diamond stamped into a golden locket hanging carelessly by one of the necklace's links. "I mean that hollow attacked her"

"Renji, sometimes I do not understand you" stated Ikkaku.

"Huh?"

"You're so in love with two" completed the third musketeer.

"I don't love her" snapped Renji too fast for Ikkaku's liking "She's my best friend's sister and to even like her would be a cliché reserved only for movies and animes, so give me a break"

Yumichika snickered while the other one rolled his eyes faking a sigh of desperation. The desperation wasn't faked, because the bald Shinigami was getting impatient with Renji's predisposition of getting into deep shit because of women, but the sigh was.

"Keep telling yourself that and maybe, if you're lucky, you'll believe it. Anyway you have no chance with her" counterattacked Yumichika, wanting to screw a little with his friend's sense of pride.

"Why is that? I am popular with the ladies" backfired Renji, not even noticing the other's light mockery.

"Because there is one reason why a girl would wear a scarf around her neck wrapped so tightly"

"Huh?" Ikkaku and Renji said synchronously their faces mirroring curiosity.

But the feminine man chuckled and left them with their mouths opened, not giving them an explanation.

"Let's go" he sang from 10 meters away, after he had lunched in a hesitant Shunpo.

Ikkaku growled at his friend, swearing that he'll strangle him if he keeps on annoying the shit out of him one more time. So he had said the same thing last time Yumichika mocked him and one other time before that … and so on.

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At school, things seemed pretty normal, even if half of the students were sleepwalking on the corridors, swinging from one foot to the other in a dance of drunkenness. Karin had no doubt that at least half of them were hangover while the other half was suffering from sleep deprivation caused by the wild party last night. Karin knew some things about how _wild_ it had been, but decided to keep it only to herself.

Yuzu had come home almost immediately after her, half an hour later still rambling about how Samaki was a jerk for abandoning her in the middle of the night without even apologizing for his inappropriate behavior and lack of manners. When her sister had said that, Karin had been really tempted to comment something about Aizen's _inappropriate behavior_, but refrained from doing so, because it might have been too much for the innocent twin. She has just nodded and agreed with everything her sister said as the hours passed ... overloading her brain with useless information about who was at the party, what dresses were in trend and all that crap that comes in package along with a talkative sister.

"Karin" Yuzu's voice whispered into her ear "look over there"

And the girl pointed at a couple standing in a corner. A tall boy was laughing (presenting a harmless smile of some sort) with an average looking girl that was clearly highly amused by whatever that boy had told her. A giggle reached the twin's ears and Yuzu burst out, showing a little amount of anger, but more disappointment than ever. It was rare to see the naïve twin act like that, but Karin understood her completely, being entirely on her side.

"I can't believe it. First he stood me up and now he's laughing and joking with another girl" she pouted, earning a strange glare from a bystander that happened to be in the area, probably waiting for someone.

Karin tried to smile and ease Yuzu with soft words like she always did, but just this time the tomboy couldn't do it. Something crumbled in pieces inside her and she didn't want to admit that she praised him more than a mere man-whore. She was a fool for believing Aizen would at least apologize for the events that took place the other night, but still this act of was trespassing any limit of good-sense. Not that Aizen knew what good sense was, therefore no regular manner, but even so …

"This guy is incredible" exclaimed Yuzu, frowning at the girl, who was now leaning closer, almost rubbing her legs against his, "and this girl is just as bad."

But Karin ignored her, seeking for a valid solution to the ache she felt in her chest.

What could she do? Go to him and scream some colorful curses just because he was _sharing knowledge_ with another girl. It wasn't even her sister he was talking to, so the excuse with sibling-protection wouldn't stand against it and if she would start with something like "you're an ass that deserves to die in hell" the whole school would probably laugh at her predicament; and Samaki would have another reason to mock her.

She was even tempted to jump on his back and wipe that innocent smile off his face. How wasn't that girl able to see the slight twitch of lips that suggested the cruelty hidden behind it, when she could see it clear crystal, even from a mile away? It was screaming in her face of malice and evilness and all she did was smile back and flirt like a common whore. Worse was that Karin knew this girl he was talking to. She was a kind girl, plainly stupid, but very attractive.

"You were right …" declared Yuzu, standing straight and faking a conceited demeanor that wasn't fooling anyone.

"Huh?"

"About him, being an ass and not deserving … anything" stated the girl.

Karin glanced one last time at Aizen and his so _beautiful_ girlfriend while thinking of a response.

"Yeah, don't worry, ok? You don't need to be bothered by the likes of him. Guys are pigs and he isn't even worth comparing to one of them. Pigs are above him in every aspect" smirked Karin while her left hand was rolling from the wrist.

Yuzu snickered at Karin's comment and even smiled shyly at her. Only with a little mockery and a drop of humor, Karin could transform an angsty situation into a happy one; a talent which had been clearly inherited from the father of the family, who had the same habit of rising someone's courage with only a few words … or a few jumps over the house and a dozen of Kurosaki good mornings.

"Thank you, Karin-chan. You are my favorite sister" she hugged the raven twin, while the other girl was ruffling her hair.

"Now I feel so much better" replied Karin.

The touchy moment came to an end when Karin stopped assaulting her sister's hair and kissed her softly on the cheek.

"You are my favorite sister as well" a pause "Wait a second Yuzu … did you just mock me?"

"Nooo …" proclaimed Yuzu, crossing her hands in front of her trying to protect the little dignity she had left "How could I mock my favorite sister?"

An innocent smile accompanied by a gentle batting of eyelashes didn't soften Karin's desire to punish her sister for the uncalled irony. If Yuzu was starting to develop this bad habit of being sarcastic, their annoying father was bound to end his life leaving behind only his memory. Not that Karin cared for him that much, but since neither of her siblings had a job or a stuffed CV to get a heeled job, Isshin was the only one able to get money home, pay the rent, food … house reparations.

"Come here" threatened Karin, rolling the sleeves of her uniform and preparing to chase her if forced to.

"Karin-chan" interjected Yuzu, running in the opposite direction, "It was a joke!"

And they began running on the hall, Karin chasing after Yuzu, even if she was being half-hearted about all this punishment. It would have been very simple for a highly trained soccer captain to catch up with Yuzu's inexistent speed, but Karin was just fooling around, jumping over objects and stumbling on people's feet, not really caring for anything apart from making her sister happy. They were just enjoying life as any normal teenager would do, but they decide to do it in a different manner.

In a corner, two brown eyes followed the twins' movement, being particularly interested in the back haired one that jumped over the bending form of a student. The show played before his barely ajar eyes as the only word he could find to describe the spectacle being _childish_.

"They are so cute, the Kurosaki twins, don't you think Samaki-san?" asked the girl standing by his side, tilting her head subtly until it reached the man's shoulder.

"Very _cute_" declared Aizen, trying to move aside gently in order to avoid the girl's head … or any part of her body for that matter.

In vain he had tried to make her jealous, because Karin wasn't acting like a jealous person at all. As a matter of fact she was looking happier that ever. Aizen frowned when he remembered her distant glance and icy glare, then ignoring his presence like he was a nothing, like he was trash. He had heard the dialogue that had taken place between the twins, but nothing could prepare him for the humorous manner in which Karin approached the matter. She had dared to compare him with a pig, stating later that a pig is too good for him …

"Kurosaki Yuzu was your date yesterday at the ball, wasn't she?" asked the girl, but Aizen didn't bother to answer, his gaze being struck on the girls.

Finally Karin reached her sister, hugging her from behind and then giving her a lecture about school conduct. Aizen was able to hear as she said something about no sarcasm permitted in school's perimeter since she had enough for the whole town. This reality couldn't be contradicted by anyone, not even the all mighty god Aizen.

"I have to go present my project about marine creatures. I hope you won't mind if I go to prepare it" smiled Aizen, trying to fool her with a smooth tone of lust; very easy to mime, but incredibly effective.

This malted the girl in a puddle at his feet, making her bite the bait hanged by his hand.

"Of course not, Samaki-san. Have fun with your project"

The man smiled again, retaking his usual arrogant posture, while that unimportant schoolmate of his left for her next course. When she disappeared from sight, Aizen approached the two girls, who were hugging each other in a tight embrace of love. Karin was the first to see him being followed closely by Yuzu. Neither said anything about it, but from the looks he was receiving from them, especially from the first, his desire for a warm welcome became kind of overestimated. Aizen still smiled softly eying the interesting piece of cloth that covered Karin's neck.

"Nice scarf" he said with a hint of dark sarcasm in voice.

Karin turned around facing him, Yuzu still standing behind her using the girl's volcanic attitude as an indestructible shield.

"Nice handprint" replied Karin just as sarcastic, mocking him with a delicious smirk of confidence "Who slapped you? Tell me and I'll give her a prize"

A war battled between their heated glares, none winning but both struggling to push the other over the edge or at least to annoy the hell out of him/her. Aizen finally switched onto Yuzu, ignoring Karin's stare digging in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Yuzu for yesterday and …"

A hand grabbed his shoulder, squeezing until Aizen couldn't feel his hand, being completely numbed from the pressure applied to his upper arm. Karin pressed even harder bringing him at her level and penetrating his chocolate orbs with a pointy, but strong gaze.

"Aizen I've told you before and I'm going to repeat, because it doesn't seem to get through your thick skull: Stay away from her"

The man tilted his head slightly, until his lips got close to her ear almost touching the cartilage that surrounded it. Yuzu couldn't hear what he was saying because of the distance and couldn't see his eyes either as red locks masked them under their impenetrable barrier.

"Don't worry … I will, but not right now …" he whispered into her ear as hot breaths hit the ear shell spreading over the cheek and some of them traveling down the girl's neck.

Karin squeezed his shoulder blade as fingers dug into it like knives cutting through flesh. Still the man didn't feel one thing, being preoccupied by Karin's hard tone and harsh eyes.

"Aizen this is the last warning I'll give you. Stay away from her or I promise on my mother's grave I'll kill you with my bare hands" she said loud enough to be heard _only_ by Aizen.

"You look so hot when you make death threats" he stated, before pushing her two steps back until she reached her sister.

"I just wanted to apologize for my inappropriate conduct from yesterday Kurosaki-san, but it seems like your sister has a personal vendetta against me, so I promise I won't bother you again" bowed Aizen, this time talking with Yuzu.

Karin's face was priceless: mouth slightly gaped and eyes widened in wonder and astonishment. The prick violated her body, literally, and after all that happened he still had the guts to state that she had a vendetta against him. Obviously!

The brown haired girl was tempted to speak back, but Aizen had already left.

'_God … this guy has an ego as big as Soul Society. And Soul Society is infinite, so this really means something. But he can go to hell for all I care. I'm done with the likes of him and if he dares to touch me again I'll keep that promise of stripping his balls off and hang them by his ears as earrings_' she sighed while rubbing her temples '_I gotta come with a new threat, because this is getting old_'

These were the thoughts that crossed Karin's mind as the bell rang. Yuzu tugged her away, saying something about Samaki not being such an ass …

"Yuzu, you have no idea" mumbled Karin, following her down the corridor.

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Omake (do not take it seriously):

"Renji"

"Yes Ichigo?"

"Do you want to tell me something related to my sister?"

"No" Renji backed away slowly looking kind of pale, but Ichigo noticed his sudden retreat "Who gave you this stupid idea?"

"You … while checking her ass"

"Err … I have an excuse"

"BANKAI! Tensa Zangetsu!" screamed the enraged strawberry.

"Wait a second, Ichigo! I do the same thing to Rukia and you do not seem to mind"

"_Getsuga_ Tenshō!"

"Argh!"

…

"You're not going to pull some strings in Soul Society and exile me there like you did with Captain Hitsugaya, right?" (o_O)

"_Getsuga_ Tenshō Again!"

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First of all: Renji doesn't love Karin! He cares for her, but no love! (as I said do not take the omake seriously)

This chapter was dedicated entirely to Karin, because I have neglected her point of view in the last chapters, so it's your time to shine baby! Maybe I made her too cruel, but the damn thing had killed a woman, what was she supposed to do, kiss him? Anyway the Australian thing was just for fun, I don't want anyone to perceive it as racist.

This was a chapter of fluff and amusement (I felt this need of doing something funny after a not so amusing last chapter. Darkness took its toll on me) but from the next one we get back to our business. I plan a little Ichigo Karin talk, but not right now. Also I tried to bypass the Aizen topic when she was talking with the other Shinigami, which proved to be very difficult. As for why did I make Aizen a psychotic sadist (I'm quoting from saya's review) you'll see soon enough. You know that I was tempted to send that prostitute after Karin o_O, but in that plot she was alive, so it crumbled when I decided to kill her, but she'll play an important part.

Hakkuchi ... plot twist (I didn't tell you this so shush) ... and yeah I like messing with Gotei 13.

Well .. Karin knows that an Aizen Sousuke tried to destroy the city, but she thinks Ichigo killed him. That's why the name Aizen sounds familiar, but even if she were to remember it could easily be brushed away as a coincidence. As for Ichigo, at the time he found out, he was in a silent fight with Karin (they're still fighting btw) so he didn't tell her about him.

Who was hiding in the bushes? You'll find out later anyway, but I'm curious to know if I'm getting predictable. Take a pick!


	16. A distant memory

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter had been beta-ed by Cittyno2 (thank you very much). If you find any mistakes, it is her fault (not mine).I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter16: A distant memory**

"_I had no idea of the existence of Antique cultures before stumbling upon an interesting book called Hypatia._

_I was barely 10 when dad threw that book in the trash saying something about useless junk and, as any good child, I was able to steal it right from under his nose. It didn't matter anyway because after two pages of erratic reading, my sudden burst of energy transformed immediately into a heavy boredom. Therefore, the book found shelter in an obscure corner of the room I shared with Yuzu, where we used to deposit useless things dad bought for us._

_Three years later in another bad mood induced by Yuzu and her infinite love for furry animals, I found the same book I had neglected for so many years. Only then, I realized what it contained … the life of a woman that gave up everything for the sake of science and knowledge. A woman I began to admire and study in my spare time. What could a middle scholar like me do apart from soccer, occasional homework and reading?_

_I guess the one thing that really attracted me at her was the stubbornness and cleverness radiating from her actions throughout the whole book. At first, I didn't understand why the church accused her of witchcraft. All she dared to do was study math and the star's position in order to decipher the true shape of Earth and its elliptic movement around the sun … but later I found out about the woman's role in society during those times._

_Such an act of devotion and love towards culture coming from a woman was rarely seen in those dark times. For some reason I cannot blame them for thinking ill of her, because she was an interesting creature and one of the few that dared to cross the line drew by society for women._

_However, part of me is still an incurable feminist._

_Now that I think about it, everything sounds ironic. Who had heard of a feminist tomboy?"_

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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Another eventless month dragged Karakura into the beginning of a yet another frizzy winter. It wasn't still any snow or temperature below zero degrees, but the whole town was submerged in a laziness of some sort, giving a vague impression of stagnation. Lifelessness seemed to have taken over the mass population of Karakura and none knew how this happened, not even the Shinigami.

Karin blamed the early start of winter and her family agreed since it was rare to see such coldness in the first part of December. Over this little aspect, window shopping seemed to be women's main occupation now that winter had official been installed in the little town. The mall had been assaulted by frenzied people that found their clothing stash unable to sustain the sudden weather change. Not even Karin had been spared from this atrocity, because Isshin found the perfect excuse to drag them at a nearby shop and buy boots and other stuff necessary for the cold season. Of course going to a shop was Yuzu's biggest weakness and Karin had been forced, not only once, to ask her sister to abandon the embarrassing drooling over a pair of leather boots.

Still … even Soul Society seemed to be affected by this sudden paralysis, because every single party involved in Aizen's search was screwing it up big time.

To say that nothing notably happened in the one month that had passed since Karin's last encounter with Renji and the crew was obvious enough. The three Shinigami, Renji, Yumichika and Ikkaku, rarely accompanied by Byakuya, visited the Kurosaki household only to give a _detailed _report to the two thirsty males inhabiting it and sometimes to make fun of Ichigo's unfortunate demeanor. Not even Byakuya could contain the sarcasm from flowing out in waves that tumbled over the teen, especially when Ichigo was beginning one of his usual speeches about sibling love blah, blah and crap. However, none spilled anything about Toshiro's possible return in the Human Word, probably fearing another panic attack or maybe something worse than that.

The red pineapple head was the only one that eased his pain by inventing something about a clue they found related to Aizen's disappearance, even if, in the end, it was all a lie.

They hadn't found anything that could lead them to Aizen or Hueco Mundo, which vexed every single one of them, because it gave an aura of helplessness to Gotei 13, Central 46 and Soul Society in general. Infinite studies and debates concluded in something plainly obvious, but just as useless: he had vanished, taking with him even the slightest trace of reiatsu. Some even cheered happily, thinking that Aizen was probably dead, rotting in the human world, but the others knew he was hiding in the dark, waiting for a chance to strike back.

All of these were aberrations from Urahara's point of view, who was sure neither of the theories was even close to the brute reality. Aizen hiding was probable, yet a strange tactic coming from someone with an ego of that horrific magnitude, but Aizen dying was just impossible. In one of his rare spats of anger, the ex well-known captain blamed Yamamoto for taking the complex situation so lightly and not strengthening the seal around Aizen's cell.

If he was right or wrong, didn't matter, because Aizen was out in the open, free and in a place, none thought he would dare to hide.

Yamamoto had commanded a rapid search that shouldn't have taken more than two weeks, since Aizen was freshly out of prison and weak (or so they believed), but even after two months nothing beneficial had been discovered. For once Gotei 13 desired to give up and leave it like that, because they were all tired of long patrols around Seireitei's white towers and interminable night shifts that ended in tragedy, because they were too tired to fight against the Hollows that attacked them mercilessly.

However, what scared them more than anything was that Aizen has yet to make a move. What was his sick mind boiling this time?

Moreover, if it wasn't enough, Central 46 was getting bored with Gotei's predicament and they were even considering a retreat of forces from the Human World back between the safe walls of Seireitei. They didn't know that this kind of decision was like falling neither right into Aizen's trap, nor did they care; after all, it won't be the first time that happened either.

Soul Society was like a volcano waiting for a signal to go KABOOM!

Meanwhile, throughout Soul Society's struggle for finding Aizen, Karin had been busy with other things, like evading (at all cost) the _same _Aizen they were looking for; pretty ironic.

Therefore, Karin had tried, countless times, to ruin his chances of cornering her in the locker room or any other private place, which could become a hindrance when there was no escape route (apart from the main door). For example he had almost caught her in the boy's bathroom (what was she doing there will remain a mystery), but luckily for her the windows proved to be large enough to squeeze through. After this peculiar incident, the young Kurosaki noticed that maybe she was just being a little too paranoid about Aizen. After all, it's normal for a guy to go to the toilet … in the male section.

However, at the next soccer practice Karin was reminded, by a lustful gaze owned by none other than the red haired goalkeeper, why did she run away from him like a demented woman. It appeared that soccer had become a living nightmare, rolling in her schedule weekly and screwing with her sanity. For the first time, she wished there was some way of bypassing soccer, and implicitly Aizen.

On the other hand, Aizen was being a prick, as always, staring at her whenever he was getting the opportunity. The others didn't notice the man's sudden interest in the team's captain, but Karin was continuously feeling his gaze on every part of her body, burning like fire. This whole situation was driving her in a pool of insanity, being aggravated by stupid teammates, incompetent fathers and Ichigo-dumbness.

With very much effort on her part, Karin finally noticed a strange reiatsu, the same she had felt that day in the laboratory, but its source remained unknown. As that day,it was accompanied by a tingling sensation, but held something more dangerous and deep inside it … something not even Karin could name, or maybe didn't want to.

In total opposition with Karin's erratic state of mind, Aizen had calmed down (noticeably). He was acting as usual, apart from the staking game around the school, on the soccer field and in the locker rooms. Not once had he stopped laughing at Karin's uncomfortable pose, or at her failed attempts of evading him. The only reason of why did she escape so easily from the traps he had created especially for her, was because he let her do so; and the fact that he was able to see the little Kurosaki squirm for something else than a win in a soccer match, has something to do with it.

Even with the support of his intelligent mind, Aizen still cursed himself for _that _outburst of instinct, but became aware of its necessity later. It was all for the better since he had found out Karin's little secret. His usual talk companion, and one of the only woman who did think before forming an opinion, was the sister of not only the one he despised above anything else, but also the one that crushed his ambitions under a façade of confidence and power. Never had he hated anyone as much as he hated Ichigo, but raping his sister wasn't the type of revenge he had in mind. There were some other ways, far more appropriate and painful with which he could torture the Substitute Shinigami.

There was something else that bothered Aizen throughout this long period and it remained unresolved. He didn't understand why he had forced himself upon Karin, when it wasn't his style to do such an outrageous thing. In fact, maneuvering, modeling and manipulating ones feelings, turning him into the perfect puppet, was what he liked to call his specialty.

So why did he do it?

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It was the 7-th of December when Karin finally decided it was the perfect opportunity to visit Urahara. She wasn't anywhere near eager to meet the obnoxious ex captain, who was also the one and only supplier of Shinigami stuff she could find in Karakura, but she was in grave need of a new anti-Hollow pill and he was the only one that could provide it. In addition, it had something to do with Jinta's matutinal phone call, ranting about Urahara demanding her immediate presence at his Karakura headquarters; as if he had any other shop.

'_Lucky me_' thought Karin.

He might have added something else, but Karin had hanged up on him with the excuse of being too early for a serious talk. It was nine o'clock … and Monday. Calling a Kurosaki at that hour, Yuzu being the exception, was insuring a straight path to hell, helped by a kick in the ass delivered by the hurt party.

Karin sighted when she approached a park arranged for little children and adorned by colorful were two more blocks and the shop would come into view.

A child ran by her, stumbling just beside her and kissing the ground after an acrobatic fall. Karin watched in awe as the little creature stood up and continued his path like nothing had happened, even if his knee was bleeding enough to hurt a giant. Not once had it crossed her mind that he reminded her of another child she used to know … herself … playing on a soccer field with a gang of middle scholars, accompanied by her dear geeky friends and an epic-entry Toshiro.

One tiny part of her conscience cried after the beautiful days of her childhood when innocence and love were being used in conversation as point of reference, when the world was painted in white and black, when … life was simpler. And it was okay to cry after that, but not dwell on it too much. Time passes and nothing can stop it, but if she was lucky, Karin could make it bearable.

The girl's steps hurried down the street, while her mind instinctively crossed over the impossible barrier of time, focusing on a distant memory, forgotten in a corner of her conscience, left there to rot for eternity and not be remembered. If she was already aware of the triggered memory, she didn't show any distinctive sign of distress. Only a silent moan passes through her parted lips as a long lost discussion surfaced above all other mind processes and took over ... everything.

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_On a tiny patch of fresh green grass, the only one left by the destructive force of autumn, two figures were longed, looking quite relaxed. The tallest was reading a book, its title being hidden by an old overcoat, while the other was peering the horizon, probably looking for something interesting to observe._

"_Samaki?" Asked Karin, resting her head on the elbow as she angled it at the right side of her body._

"_Hm?"_

"_Did you ever think that women should stay at home and become housewives instead of going to school and being equal to men?" Attacked Karin, not bothering with an introduction like the one she used to when talking with the demure male._

_However, Aizen raised an elegant eyebrow, knowing that it will annoy Karin above anything else, but answered reticently closing the book with a snap and rolling closer to the girl. His chocolate orbs were at the same level as Karin's curious gaze and it took all of her self-control not to blush or show any sign of weakness. If she did such a thing, there were 100% chances for Aizen to use it against her, or if she was lucky, just mock a little, leaving her alone after that._

"_All the time, but nobody listens." Smiled the man with that usual expression of smugness glowing on his white marble face._

_Gritting her teeth in annoyance, but being in a good mood, which happened rarely, Karin decided to leave it alone. She just snapped at him with not too much fervor._

"_Sexist bastard" after an Aizen pout, or something struggling to resemble it, Karin continued "Now seriously … I demand an answer"_

"_And I shall not give it to you" came back the reply "What have gotten into you that made you start such an unusual topic of conversation?"_

_Karin struggled to find an appropriate answer, or at least another than the one she had in mind, but in the end she failed. Accompanied by a painful sight, the girl declared in a low voice, almost praying for Aizen not to hear any of it._

"_I want to know your opinion since you are a man and all that crap that comes with it." Her tone came back at the usual number of decibels as her eyes made contact with Aizen's "When I was little I found this book called Hypatia … a novel that had been written by an obscure author, who had no idea how to link two words without sounding awfully ridiculous. His writing skills could have easily rivaled mine, without adding that I was 13 at that time."_

_Aizen looked impatiently waiting for the rest of the story. "And?"_

"_I read it, but I didn't care about stuff like literature skills, because there was something more captivating than that in those pages." She had noticed the curiosity mirrored in the man's eyes. It seemed to be the only emotion he was capable of feeling in those few days they had spent together. Finally, she answered, sparing him of another torturous question "A woman, a philosopher who lived in the 4-th century. I wish I had known her. A powerful woman that didn't fear religion, men, swords and over this … she didn't fear God."_

_Aizen snapped back in a sitting position, unbalancing the girl sitting next to him because of his unexpected reaction. He turned around slowly, but Karin was already prepared for the horrifying eyes meeting her own, being used to Aizen hypersensitivity over the god topic. There were limits to his obsession, but when gods were involved, nothing seemed to matter._

"_Humans that do not fear god, or at least something above their condition, which is usually called divinity, are very dangerous." He stated seriously._

"_And why is that, all mighty king of the seen and unseen?" Mocked Karin, as she rose from the ground, finding a good spot to rest on just by his side._

_Aizen eyed her again, not even trying to scare her away. She was too accustomed to his temper and creepy attitude to run away. If she had felt threatened by his presence, she would have run away a long time ago or maybe immediately after meeting him._

"_Because, all mighty queen of sarcasm, those humans cannot be stopped on the path of ascension" replied Aizen, shifting closer to her._

"_You're telling me that such a human, if left alone, can become a god?" Aizen nodded, not bothering to explain his theory to someone that didn't listen to others opinion anyway "I thought you were the one with blasphemy crap and humans DO NOT equal god. What happened? Did you have a sudden revelation or did your human mind find a solution to break the limitations of human-hood"_

_Aizen frowned as the wrinkles drawn between his eyebrows furrowed further into the skin. This only made Karin happier, as a beautiful smirk flowered on her lips. Still, she didn't stop from the rabid attack, continuing to ask question after question, realizing that Aizen won't be able to answer to all of them at once, but seeking for a genuine answered._

"_Do you think we may be able to surpass the human condition and travel beyond it into a totally new level of knowledge? Do you think we can become like Hypatia, geniuses for our era?"_

"_I do not think it's possible!" Stated seriously Aizen, stopping her in time. Only to be assaulter by another wave of unwanted questions._

"_Why? You have said just yesterday that …" she tried to continue, but was rudely interrupted by the man standing by her side._

"_I'm not eager to become like Hyatia because she was a woman and believe me … no man can be happy to transform into a woman."_

_As a natural reaction to Aizen's words, Karin stared for one minute, processing the proposition. When their meaning dug in …_

"_You're an asshole, Aizen!" She screamed, poking him in the eye with a sticky stick she had found on the ground in her search for a good attack weapon "I was being serious here. No need to get all defensive with your masculinity"_

_Karin finished talking while striking him with the same stick she had previously used. This time Aizen defended his face from the mercenary woman, deflecting her attacks with elegance and easiness. In fact, it looked like he was not even putting effort in his defensive, just enjoying the little quarrel they seemed to share._

"_I'm not defensive" he said, avoiding a supposedly dangerous punch in the face "And your punches are pathetic …"_

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"I miss those discussions. He always had an able tongue," stated Karin, checking out a sheep-shaped cloud, traveling on the blue cover, tailed by a horde of pigs and cattle clouds. Losing her focus for a second, Karin dreamed on whatever was possible and impossible, only to burst in a fit of laughter a moment later "It really sounded bad …"

She was defiantly pulled out of the flashback when she arrived at the little shop located between tall buildings, still holding a fresh air of superiority over them. The shop's architecture wasn't overstepping the boundaries of richness or poorness, but reminded Karin of the lost age of Samurais and Ninjas fighting for supremacy; and it didn't look remotely old. Still the banner on which four Japanese symbols were imprinted gave up its real intention. Something that didn't relate, apparently, to samurais, swords or any unnatural aspect.

Urahara Shoten.

A name that lacked imagination, but was definitely better than "The Silver Dragonfly". This was also the shop from where Renji persuaded her to buy a pair of glasses. She had regretted it the moment she had seen the bright pink, heart shaped, shiny glasses chosen by none other than the shop's owner, Shirogane Ginjirō. To say that she had thrown them in the trash would be redundant, but she did it after smashing them in a death grip and stuffing them down Renji's throat. How did she get them back in order to dispose of them? Only Renji will know for the rest of his Shinigami life, but the conclusion was: since then, neither of her brother's Shinigami friends had tried to give her glass-related gifts ever again.

However, this little building held one of the grandest businesses between the Shinigami and the convicted captain. From this point of view, Urahara's little shop was above any other in Karakura or Soul Society. It was the only shop from where Karin didn't fear buying anything, because Urahara had the best articles in both worlds and didn't care for consequences, because everything was safe proof. Well … anything but a product named Kon.

Karin sighed loudly, puffing away an annoyed groan, when she remembered Kon's lastattempt of cornering Yuzu … in Ichigo's body …

"Stop dreaming Kurosaki and come inside!" Screamed Jinta from the porch, or the place where a porch should have been assembled "He has waited for two hours. He even began singing and hasn't stopped since" continued the boy, pointing angrily at the opened door "Hurry up. I'm sick of his shitty voice and Tessai's always bickering."

Suddenly thefigure of a tall, broad-shouldered man shadowed the boy's fragile form and Jinta raised his head watching in apprehension as Tessai approached him. A long shadow was slowly covering his eyes, but the murderous intent was radiating from his being like an artificial sun. Even Karin felt it from 10 meters away, so it was no way Jinta wasn't expecting the torture that was sure to come.

"Jinta-dono…" whispered the tall man.

Jinta froze when the husky tone reached his ears. He turned around, facing his walking nightmare and trembling like the coward he really was.

"Karin-dono … he's in there" said Tessai politely, pointing at a crack left in the front door.

With a smirk attached to her lips, the girl bowed, this being her way of thanking, but threw a sardonic glare at the witnessing boy. After she was done with the pleasantries, she reached for the handle but not before mocking him with her usual (not funny) sarcasm.

"Good luck, sucker" she whispered in Jinta's ear "See you after you get pwned"

"Kuro …" yelled Jinta, but a hand covered his mouth, squashing him in a tight embrace.

Karin rolled her eyes and left the two males with their unusual bonding. She could swear she had heard Jinta muffled screams, possibly from repeated blows in _the _sensitive area of a man's body, but he should have seen it coming when talking bad about Tessai.

"Kurosaki-san" sang the shop's owner as she opened the door "With what can I serve you today?"

Karin scowled at the shop owner, preferring to do so instead of showing the surprise and scare he had given her when he appeared before her from a static shunpo. Urahara should have known better than doing such a thing to a non-Shinigami, but the man was well-known for his unethical behavior so everything was unexpected when being around him. She pushed her lips in a thin line, deciding that sarcasm was the best solution.

"I would like some pizza, a cup of coffee with four cubes of sugar and a sweet desert"

After a long contest of staring at one another, Urahara gave up and opened his fan, hiding the lower part of his face under it without covering the two deep eyes shaded by the strange hat resting onto his head. Maybe it was his method of protecting himself from outer attacks, but the man was too complicated to be understood in the little time they spend together (once a week when she came to refresh her supplies). She could dare to state that he was almost as complicated as Aizen, but only the thought of him gave her the chills, therefore she abandoned the topic.

"You tell me, since Jinta seemed so stressed at the telephone" when he didn't respond, Karin continued "Will you tell me what's the problem, poker face-san?"

"Did you ever think of becoming a Shinigami?" Karin's gaped mouth answered his question. Never had she thought he would approach her so directly; it was highly unusual "I know you must have …"

"If you are so sure, why ask in the first place?" Remarked Karin, eyeing him strangely.

The blonde man smiled slightly, lowering the fan for a moment. He took a seat at the round table, crossing his legs in an odd type of Indian style. She wavered when he invited her beside him, but her legs already hurt from the strenuous way from home, so she accepted his invitation, knowing that she'll need all the rest she could get before going from here to Karakura High School.

"I've never understood you. Sometimes you remind me of Ichigo-san" his fan snapped shut in his opened hand "Sometimes you're the spitting image of your father, when he's not goofing off of course" added the shop's owner, noticing the dark aura surrounding his dear customer "Sometimes you try to outsmart me and that's when I do not know who's the source of this distinctive trait"

"You are the one that's playing mind games and maneuvering bullshits" smirked Karin evilly "I'm just ensuring my safety"

"Beautifully said, Kurosaki-san" smiled Urahara, tilting his head forward as a sign of praising.

"Please tell me, because I don't have all day. What do you want?" asked Karin rapidly.

Urahara didn't look pleased with Karin's directness, but being used to it at a certain level helped get over his usual conduct and begin the real conversation. After all, he was the one that bluntly asked her about being a Shinigami, so it was natural for the girl to fire back. He groaned and placed the fan on the table, being already too stressed to use it. Silence seemed to envelop the little room, but Urahara dispersed it with his next serious statement.

"Your reiatsu is going to get Soul Society's attention sooner or later, but the worst part is if it gets some other party's attention, like …" he scraped his chin "a Hollow's for example"

"What do you mean?"

"I felt an interesting energy one month ago in the region you had fought that Arrancar, but I had to process it with my new invention, that wasn't … err … perfected at that time. But now it's ready and I can sell it to you at the amazing price of …" babbled Urahara, being rudely stopped by his customer.

"Spare me!" Commanded Karin.

Urahara apologized with an awkward head bow for the short divagation he had unintentionally added in his epic discourse.

"And I found out that it was a Hollow's" when Karin's expression didn't falter, the man smirked slightly, uncovering his eyes from under the hat "it had a level of reiatsu above anything I had seen. I don't know who was there, but its power was comparable with the Primera's"

"You do not mean the First Espada, right?" Asked the girl rapidly, in a rush of fear.

If the first Espada had been in Karakura, or spied on her, the human population was in grave danger, and implicitly her. Still she waited for the owner's response before panicking. Maybe it was a term he used for freshly born Arrancars.

"I'm afraid that's exactly what I mean. That's why I advise you to accept my next proposition. It's your choice of course, but please do understand that you're putting your sister and your classmates in grave danger just by denying this simple truth"

Karin gulped, listening closely to every world leaving his mouth "I'm listening."

"You have to learn how to control that huge reiatsu you seem to posses, because from now on even the slightest spark can light up a forest." Sang the man, humming happily

"What do you want me to do?"

"I'll teach you, but combat isn't contained by out deal, because I do not want to enter in an altercation with your father. He is a good customer of mine" Karin rolled her eyes at Urahara's antiques "I'll show you some harmless reiatsu controlling and if you're going to be good, maybe some kido. However I do not expect too much, since Kurosaki-san is a walking disaster at controlling his spiritual energy."

Karin tried to complain about this deal, but a rough glare stopped the words that were about to be spoken. Not wanting to upset the one who will be her sensei, Karin accepted, but didn't linger too much at the shop after that. There were other things that required her presence and bickering with Urahara wasn't one of them.

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A sneeze echoed in the dark and gloomy cemetery. Karin covered her mouth, muffling the puffing sound, but not enough. A bird that found shelter on a three's branch, flew away in a rush when the strange noise reached it.

The scene was reminding Karin of a bad horror movie Isshin forced her to watch, saying something about Movie Family Night. And the long shadows spared by funeral tombstones witnessed the last ray of light, emphasizing the resemblance between being in a graveyard at night and an old horror movie.

Karin watched as the winged creature left behind a trail of white feathers, not being even remotely bothered by the nightfall's closeness; her mind was occupied with other things, important things.

White … the color she loved so much, but didn't dare to wear because of its intensity. There was also the distant memory, which apart from giving her the chills, spread a tingle of uneasiness regarding the dissimulative power of this flashy color. Once upon a time, in her long lost childhood, a teacher said something about white that marked her for eternity. She had said that it is a tricky color, since it describes purity and innocence, but can also be the perfect disguise for evil because it can hide underneath it the blackest of things.

She finally reached the tombstone of her mother's grave. After she had changed the flowers with fresh ones, which were accidentally white roses, Karin took a solemn pose in front of it, with her legs underneath her body and her hands crossed over the chest. Maybe it didn't seem like a usual position someone would take at her mother's grave, but this was Karin's way of paying her respects to the one that created her from mere atomic particles.

"Mom" she began, smiling sweetly at the stonewall and at the name written on it "We are fine. Dad is as energetic as always, goofing around like an idiot, praying at your poster like it's god reincarnated" she made a pause, remembering the scene he had made the morning after the freshman's ball "Yuzu wants to be a doctor, so she began studying chemistry and biology two years ago. I'm sure she'll accomplish her dream. Ichigo isn't his usual self, but I cannot blame him after losing most of his powers in the Winter War" her eyes fell on her backpack "And I … I'm having this predicament that cannot be shook off easily."

She shifted slightly on the spot, recollecting her voice. One of her heads sneaked onto her neck.

Karin had been able to conceal the dark bruises on her neck for one week and a half, until they were partially healed, and after that Yuzu's makeup made wonders, covering them completely under a thick layer of _woman dust_. Luckily, for her, neither of her siblings had noticed the dark dots decorating her neck and after another week, it did not matter anyway, because they were finally healed. So only, she and Aizen knew of the red scarf's secret and both of them decided, instinctively, to keep it under the dirty little secret label.

"There is this boy, Aizen Samaki. I think I hate him, but I'm also too attracted to him to distinguish between hate and … love, want; don't know how to call it." Karin clenched he hands hard, until her nails were digging into her fragile skin. "I knew that teenagers are supposed to have these contradictory feelings, but I don't want them. I like him or I do not like him; there's no middle way." She relaxed her hands, hanging them by her sides. "Am I crazy for still being attracted to him, even after what he did. I think I forgave him a long time ago, but I still bare the scar of his rash actions. He has this totally alluring personality and he isn't the usual type of boy … he's something else, mom"

She bowed until her forehead reached the cold surface of the tombstone. "I'm such a fool" whispered the girl, talking more with herself than with her mother.

Heavy steps attracted Karin's attention as four figures approached her. Judging their size and the absence of any trace of elegance in their rushed movements, Karin could easily deduce they were boys and, over this, they were, possibly, bullies from her school. She didn't dare run, being too proud to do such a disgraceful thing. She knew there was only one way of dealing with the high-school delinquents and it was through punches and well-aimed kicks, not kisses and hugs.

"Look what we found here." Remarked a tall boy with tattoos all over his left arm. "If it isn't Kurosaki Nr. 2" he cracked his knuckles, being copied by his other three goons "I'm feeling lucky tonight"

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I began school, so from now on I'll try to update every two weeks, but I make no promises. If it's more than that I give you my sincere apologies, but I have projects, homework and other problems I do not want to detail. Anyway I'll give my best and hope apologies won't be necessary *snicker*. I gotta go finish my "custom made" web page.

Maybe many of you may ask how can the Shinigami (plus Urahara) avoid the Aizen-subject when being around Karin. There will be an explanation, but later. I also have to be careful, because if any of them spill it, Karin will make the connection …. Aizen Sousuke equals Aizen Samaki. Karin's relationship with Renji is strictly platonic. They have a sibling-like relation and nothing more.

Over 300 reviews o_O… I cannot believe it! And I got 2k+ hits last month. Hurray! Thanks to Sweet And Deadly, my 300 reviewer.

Starting from now I'll try to picture Karin's relationship with Toshiro (in the journal part). Till now I have written only Karin's feelings after Toshiro's departure but I didn't detail the actual facts that happened between them. Btw I began watching One Piece (Luffy is the only anime character that can be compared with Naruto's stupidity and Black Star's confidence) and I also love when Zoro calls Sanji "king of retardia" or "ero-cook" – they are absolutely hilarious.

You're right …. Karin and Aizen do not act like two people in love and it's too soon to say they're in love. Just like you said … it's only need so far, but the "need" can become something more if I pull the right strings (which is obviously very hard). I do not usually enter in the touchy subject of religion, and I hope I won't do it again.


	17. Loveless

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter hadn't been beta-ed yet. I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 17: Loveless**

"_Title: A date with Jinta & after!_

_The date had nothing special about it. We acted like a married couple, peculiar for two 11 year old children, we devoured an incredible amount of ice-cream, which tasted like butter mixed with banana juice, but I cannot complain because it tasted divinely, and we … fought a Hallow. Well, Jinta fought the Hallow and I chased away some weak dog-like creature with a strange mask covering its face. Probably another Hollow, but it was too cute to be put in the same bout with those disgusting creatures that slavered everything in their path._

_After this dangerous experience in the park, Ichigo called, yelling at me for some reason I didn't bother to understand; it was better if Ichigo was ignored in his short and rare moments of panic. Anyway, after this I dashed home, where I found Toshiro chatting with my twin sister._

_Yes THAT Toshiro. Do you know another one? And yes with my twin sister Kurosaki Yuzu._

_She looked genuinely happy and even congratulated me on my date with Jinta o_O', telling me she knew we'd be a couple sooner or later. I could have burst in tears, if it wasn't a tiny part of me that imagined Jinta's face when he'll hear from his sweet, perfect goddess of beauty that she believes he and I make a great couple. Too funny! _

_But Toshiro didn't gesture, didn't get angry and didn't talk to me either. Almost as if he ignored me on purpose. I should have known he won't be interested in me that way, but I guess I got my hopes up after recognizing the real source of the erratic heart beating I felt when being around him. Love is divine, but one-sided love is a drag an 11 year old shouldn't feel._

_I'm a loveless fool._"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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"Look what we found here." remarked a tall boy with tattoos all over his left arm. "If it isn't Kurosaki Nr. 2" he cracked his knuckles, being copied by his other three goons "I'm feeling lucky tonight"

Karin treated them with the usual indifference kept for simple-minded buffoons, hoping they will leave her alone, and continued to pay respects to her mother's grave. This behavior didn't help her situation, because the boy with tattoos, who must have been the leader of the tiny gang, addressed her with the cliché question.

"Oi, oi. We are talking here, li'le Kurosaki. Are you deaf or something?"

Karin rolled her eyes at the man's predictable remarks. They reminded her of a movie she found on the internet about a pretty boy bullied by his ugly classmates, who, after a couple of years, finally found the strength to fight his cruel destiny and became a karate champion. It was nothing out of the ordinary with the movie, but those goons' replies were exactly like these guys' stupid remarks. Karin wondered if life is a movie or, closer to reality, a movie is inspired by real life.

"Maybe she's too scared to reply" laughed another boy, a slim, but strong one nonetheless.

From the looks of it, he was the only one with a little amount of intelligence. Karin guessed it from the interested expression plastered his face, not the blank face of a dumb person that seemed to decorate his friends' faces. Yet he didn't impress her one bit, because he was the smarter in a group of retards; nothing to be proud of.

"Are you lost?" asked Karin, switching from one foot to the other, faking curiosity "The loony bin is on the other side of the road. You must have missed it and got lost in here." her smiled widened, metamorphosing into a sardonic smirk "Cannot blame you, since this graveyard can be a maze"

The man's faces suddenly darkened, acquiring a trace of cruelty, and Karin had to refrain herself from saying something like 'At least you're not too dumb to realize I was being ironic'. In order to worsen the situation the smart one, that's how Karin decided to name him, relaxed, being the only one that did so, and smiled at her.

"This girl has humor. Don't you think so?" He addressed the one with tattoos, who was the boss of the gang and probably the stupidest, since usually the dumbest becomes the boss.

"I … don't think anything is funny." stated the addressed man, twisting his eyebrows in a disgraceful frown

"Didn't know that you could think. Guess miracles do exist." mumbled the girl silently.

However her rambling had been heard and the reaction was just as predictable as them.

"Ironic bitch" sputtered the stupid one "I'll teach you some respect"

'_If this continues I'll shoot myself_' thought Karin '_I have this stupid impression that these guys are really out of a movie. Why did they choose to bother me instead of some other fool?_'

"Anyway … here I go." said Karin rapidly moving in a bend stance.

It was all the bullies needed as an encouragement because the boss threw an indecisive punch towards her immediately after she was finished with the preparations. She just dodged skillfully under his arm and gave him a kick in the side, sending him two steps back, stumbling like a two year old.

The fight continued in a fast rhythm and not more than once had the 4 boys had the possibility to hurt the black haired girl. She managed to avoid most of the powerful attacks, but they were 4 against one and at some point she was too cornered to be able to fight back. The arching legs and hands, along with a sore wound bleeding on her arm were the solid proof of her weakened body.

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Half an hour later, Karin left the graveyard, abandoning there 4 unconscious human bodies. They were pretty much alive, but they were sure to wake up with a few broken ribs and a couple of hurting wounds. It was their fault for challenging a Kurosaki champion at fighting.

Limping toward the park, Karin spared a little time to think of this experience.

Those 4 men had grabbed her, thrown her, slapped her, punched her, but couldn't beat her. When Aizen had grabbed her arm it felt like 10 tons of steel were hanging from it, when he … forced her, it seemed like it was no escape, but the one he provided her with. How could only one man's clench be harder than 4 men's combined strength? How could one skinny human –he wasn't really skinny, but not as beefy as the ones she fought this night- held more power than 4 mountains of muscles?

Karin's thoughts migrated towards another issue she was in grave need of resolving. Who should she call and ask for help.

If she chose her brother, he would probably go ballistic and threaten to kill the bastards who dared to touch his little sister, not knowing that they were pretty banged up themselves. Isshin would fuss over her wound, not getting anything done, but talking and crying like a little child. And Yuzu would cry over her, asking if she wanted the "kiss it better" treatment. There was also Tony, but he was a gossiper and if she called him, the whole school was sure to find out in less than one hour. Avoiding him would spare her of unnecessary embarrassment in front of her teammates, her sister and Aizen.

Her neck clacked when perceiving a little escape route. Should she dare to ask help form the one that tormented her at school and hunted her nights in the form of hideous nightmares? Coming as a divine answer, Karin realized a name appeared at the top the list while buttoning through the agenda of her phone. Her finger trembled on the call button. Finally she gathered the courage to press it, even if it was done with so much pressure that Karin wondered how it didn't break. However after two rings that seemed like an eternity, the person she called finally answered.

'_Hello?_' a well-known smooth voice echoed.

Four seconds passed and Karin still didn't find the voice to express the grave need of help she was into. Her wavering lips moved an inch, but when her mouth was opened and ready to state her appeal, the voice on the other line echoed in her year.

'_Karin …_'

The soft whisper of his voice smoothened her worries, al least a little bit until shock could replace it with its cold cover of fear. Only after hearing his voice Karin realized he had said her name. She breathed in once, twice, three times and only after this simple, but effective ritual, she was able to enter in a temporary state of calmness. Her mind worked instinctively, seeking for a solution at the problem that bothered her: how did he know it was her at phone and not Yuzu or any other of his friends. He had probably looked at the number and since she had already been added in the phonebook it was simple to read the display, concluded Karin when remembering the first time she had taught him how to use a mobile phone.

"Samaki" she said "I …" she made a pause, not intentionally, but it gave a peculiar effect of added sarcasm to her next statement "Move that lazy ass off the couch, bed, or whatever object's serving as support for your tons and come here"

The outburst was rewarded by Aizen's humorless reply.

'_You must have mistaken me with someone else. Maybe yourself or your pathetic family_' the last part had been sputtered angrily, but Karin didn't notice the man's sarcasm and hate towards her family '_I've failed to hear a please_'

"Than you fail at hearing" snapped Karin at the phone, looking kind of funny, all frowny and disturbed over a simple statement.

'_If you're not telling me in the next 10 seconds why you bothered me in the middle of my tea break, I'll close the phone_'

Karin gritted her teeth, but knew her was being serious as hell, especially when tea was involved in the equation. When she thought about it profoundly, it was miracle that he resisted so much in a normal conversation with her. Another one would have snapped shut the moment he/she heard the weight comment.

"You're an ass."

'_8 …_'

"The biggest ass ever"

'_6 …_'

Karin gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Do you even know how to count? Did they teach you that in the Land of Retards?"

'2 …'

"I" began Karin, knowing very well that once resolved, Aizen won't budge a centimeter in his decision. If he said he'll close the phone in 10 seconds, she was 100% sure he'll keep his promise to milliseconds "I need your help" she snapped exactly when his count reached zero.

There was a moment of silence, in which neither knew if the other was still on the line, but Karin's sharp voice penetrated the heavy blur.

"Are you still there Samaki?" Aizen could swear there was a little hint of worry hidden somewhere in there, but the next reply changed it into irony again "Or did I scare you?"

'_So … you need my help_' he continued to speak, not even bothering to fight with her … on the phone of course, since face to face was way funnier '_Kurosaki Karin needs my help_'

Karin could swear she had heard a malicious intent in the distorted echo of her surname, but discarded it with the excuse of being her imagination. Still she didn't want to witness her own dead body, bleeding in an obscure park where nobody would ever find her, including her family. With her pride trampled upon and possessing the force of a bee diagnosed with diarrhea, Karin decided to tell Aizen what really happened in the cemetery. She was already too deep into this shit, to come out scratch-less.

"I got into a fight" her voice wavered a decibel lower "I met 4 bullies in the graveyard and …"

'_Graveyard? What were you doing in a graveyard after nightfall?_' inquired Aizen, answering his own question with another one a moment later '_Are you into necrophilia?_'

"Don't be stupid" sputtered Karin at the phone "I was … paying my respects at someone's grave, ok! So please stop asking idiotic questions and listen."

Silence followed and Karin took it as a sign of acceptance "… there were these bullies and I beat them up to a bloody pulp, but got myself a little … err … injured in the process; not too much, but enough to not be able to notice my family." A snort reached her ears "Is there something wrong with what I've said?"

'_No …_' concluded the man, but Karin observed a particle of something lingering in his comment. For some unknown reason Aizen was acting unusual whenever her family was being involved. She didn't have time to finish her idea, because a smooth voice resounded in the loudspeaker '_but you declared you needed my help. I hope it's not to inform your family about your stupidity, even if I bet they're already aware of it._'

"If I had wanted to tell them about my issues, I would have simply called my brother or Yuzu. Who's the stupid one now?"

'_You_'

"I'll not respond to that, because if I do, I somehow doubt you'll help me"

'_Then don't_' she felt the sweet, but merciless voice travel down her ear and inside her gut.

As always she ignored the dangerous man and his crude tone and focused on the present alone.

"I do not want to notify my brother, because he has been in a bad mood in the last couple of months and if I come home all beaten up, he may snap and begin an endless talk I do not want to hear." As of anticipating his question, Karin continued "I just need a place to stay through the night and alcohol to disinfect my wounds"

Only then Karin felt her collocutor's wavering, but the answer coming through the other line washed away all the worries that had previously conquered her soul.

'_Where are you?_' asked Aizen suddenly.

Karin discovered, or maybe just noticed, a concealed content and satisfaction in his plain question; almost like he was expecting a positive answer, or such a thing to happen.

She always had the peculiar feeling of being played on when being around him and it irked her to no end, but to have it when being on the phone with the said person was kind of exaggerated. He did tell her that night that it was impossible to use her, because of the incurable stubbornness she possessed. He might have been spoken the truth, but at the same it might have been an alter plan to make her believe she was intangible to his manipulations and attack when her guard was down … like now for example. There were too many question marks and Karin was tired to chase around ghosts, no pun intended, when tangibility should be her strong point; reality, real people, real man, not half-assed Shinigami that left the next morning in another world without looking back.

"In the park, the same place we used to meet before … _that_." She said before closing the phone.

She had made up her mind. If instinct was telling her to run, she won't do it, even if it meant to run into a wolf's opened mouth and be chewed like a gum. She was a proud and powerful Kurosaki who didn't fear instinct or any other unnatural bullshit!

With this burst of optimism, Karin typed Yuzu's phone number and told her she'll stay at a friend's house during the night and asked her to announce Isshin and Ichigo. God spared her of lying to Yuzu, because she didn't ask if she was staying at a boy or a girl.

She still wondered if she was really mental or just wanted to kill herself before her clock could tick the final second of her useless life. She was the type to force the limits of common sense –kind of suicidal- but something told her that if Aizen had wanted to hurt her in any physical way, he would have done so a long time ago. He had plenty of opportunities, but didn't take them. Only after this debate with herself, Karin was able to calm down and wait for her _knight in shining amour_.

Half an hour later, Aizen appeared, metaphorically speaking, before her, dressed casually, but elegant enough to attract a lot of positive attention and, implicitly, some dark looks. He was wearing a simple pair of jeans with a black jacket, not too formal, but not gangster-like either; the perfect equilibrium between beautiful, fancy and comfortable. And, as always, Karin seemed mesmerized by his unique ability of looking like a gentleman even if deep inside, they both knew he was anything but that.

"You look stunning" smirked Karin sarcastically, throwing a stand of hair behind her ear.

If it wasn't for the unusual wildness of her lips, someone might have believed her, but Aizen didn't fall for it so easily. He was already too used with it to be bothered.

"You look like shit" came the equally sardonic response.

"Always so polite."

Karin tried to heat up the conversation with one of her usual pointy remarks, since there were so many unspoken things they should have discussed, but when her eyes collided with Aizen's bitter gaze, everything flew away in an instant. His brown eyes were like mirrors, hiding behind them a horrific past, but reflecting a bright future; hard to read, yet magnificent and mysterious. Memories resurfaced in her mind, reviewing the last real thoughts they shared, before drawing a separable line between them; a line which might never be crossed because of Aizen's impatience.

The man seemed to share her opinion and even if neither spoke even a word, their eyes were so lively under their curtain of abundant eyelashes, that mere things like words weren't expressive enough to illustrate all of the burning fire emerging from them.

"You are such a child" his lips moved automatically, but Karin saw he was just making conversation.

"I'm 16 going on to 17. No need to be ironic with a lady." came the autopilot-like reply.

"Well … Ms. Scarf why did you call me in the middle of the night. Apart from asking for help"

This was the first time his eyes stopped radiating and the talk came back onto a more tangible ground. However Karin didn't take his remark seriously, counterattacking with a disgusted tone

"I do not ask for help … and it's not midnight either" she began to sulk.

As a response Aizen raised an eyebrow, not forgetting to acquire a demeanor of superiority. She was obviously in denial, especially covered in blood, some of it not being her own, and blue purplish bruises forming on her forearms where that tattooed bastard grabbed her with the force of an ox.

Aizen's brown eyes lingered on a distinctive bruise, shaped like a hand, situated on the upper part of her thigh, just where the skirt was ending. A twin pattern was coloring the other thigh, but this one was lower and discolored, maybe because the force inflicted upon it had been lower in magnitude. Noticing that the almost dark one was on the right side, while the other one was on the left side and the fingers imprinted onto her skin were facing between her legs and not outside, Aizen came to the conclusion that the attacker must have been behind her at the moment of the grabbing.

The man felt the blood rush into his veins as these thought sunk into his conscience. A man had dared to touch _her_. For a human to dared to touch what was his, was an unforgivable sin. But what vexed Aizen above anything else was that the bruising patterned indicated that someone must have tried to spread her legs apart and, since she wasn't facing him, he probably grabbed them from behind. And here came the second part … why was he trying to spread her legs?

Meanwhile Karin was studying his expression, looking in awe as calmness metamorphosed into pure rage in a matter of seconds. She still couldn't decide if this anger was pointed at her or at someone else.

"Aizen don't go berserk. There are children sleeping and you're going to wake them up if your nerves have the intention of going rampage"

"First of all I do not plan to go … berserk, then we are in the middle of a forest, in the middle of the night. There are no children here. And the last but not the least … do not avoid my question." smirked darkly Aizen, alerting her again.

"I've already told you on the phone." She snapped at him, discovering that smugness was still covering his features "I need alcohol and water to disinfect and clean these scratches" she pointed with her eyes at her palms, which were decorated with minor cuts, while her forearm was sliced in the middle, the wound looking deep enough to hurt like hell.

"That's all?" inquired Aizen, throwing an annoyed glare at the, probably, hurting wound.

Karin hesitated to answer since she was trying to hide the embarrassing situation. Being forced by the adverse context, the girl mumbled, staring at the ground in shame.

"There is also another thing … I don't know where to stay through the night." She detached the eyes from the ground and snapped at Aizen, staring him dead in the eyes "Because you are the goalkeeper, it's your job to guarantee your captain's safety and … a place to stay of course."

"Of course" replied rapidly Aizen, as a soft smile flowered at the corner of his lips. If it was a true smile, or just the beginning of another amused smirk, Karin just couldn't decide.

However when she felt a cold hand touch the sensitive skin on the back of her leg, just behind the knee, and another one dig into her shoulder, Karin panicked and, as any normal human, she slapped away the invader by pushes and punches. Still, this didn't discourage the man, because he just continued the simple task of raising her body from the ground.

"If you continue to struggle, you'll open your wound and it will hurt even more" he said, while adjusting his hold on the feisty girl "Stop it!" he commanded when Karin ignored his plea and pushed so hard against his chest, that he almost dropped her.

Still it wasn't enough to extinguish the girl's stubbornness, as she continued to annoy him with a similar behavior of repugnance. "Go away" and "I have legs sucker" came out frequently from her mouth, but the prize could be easily won by "Put me down", which was spoken at least once per 10 seconds.

Only 10 minutes later, when she got tired of screaming and struggling against the human rock, Karin was finally able to relax in the man's hold. The altercation with the 4 bullies and then walking towards the park in that deplorable state of limpness had tired her out tremendously. A normal human would have passed out after such an adventure, but Karin wasn't someone might call _normal_ and not _human_ either.

However, only Aizen's cold fingers pressed onto her knee kept her awake. Anything else whispered softly into her ear a long forgotten song, alluring her in the tender world of dreams.

A soft light, blurred by the heavy fog which seemed to have taken over Karakura in that cold night of December, traveled through air, hitting Karin's closed eyelids. She saw the golden pattern through barely cracked eyes, but didn't posses the strength to open them fully, being satisfied with the warmth shared by Aizen's body.

"You're so heavy, Kurosaki. Did you gain some weight while I was looking the other way?" breathed Aizen in a fast one shot.

"If I'm so heavy why don't you drop me, rubber hands?" snapped Karin, still being snuggled into his chest, this time trembling when an icy wind hit her straight in the face.

"Don't tempt me" answer the man rapidity.

They continued to walk in silence; well Aizen continued to walk since Karin was deposited safely in his arms not moving a muscle and being close to fall asleep. After a couple of seconds the curiosity got the best out of him, so seeking for a way to satisfy it, the man asked prudently:

"Who did you visit in the graveyard?"

"None of your business" babbled the girl.

If it wasn't for Aizen being a big bad ass villain, he would have snorted, but instead of an ungraceful way of behaving the man decided to leave it alone for now. Still he was really tempted to dump her in a dumpster, or throw her in the river and watch as she drowned or, the only efficient solution he could find, slash her throat and send it to her brother wrapped in orange paper and tied with a bow on which he should write something like '_thank me for killing your bitchy sister_'. It was definitely the best thing he could do, apart from the ribbon thingy.

"Aren't you cold?" he suddenly asked when a shudder passed through his body, reminding him of the temperature barely reaching five degrees "After all you're barely wearing anything apart from the school uniform and this short blackish overcoat. Do you even know that it's almost the middle of December?"

But when he looked down to check his companion's status, he was genially surprised to find her fast asleep, drooling happily onto his brand new jacket. A small smile decorated her face and he could swear he heard a mumbled '_baka_' leave her mouth, but couldn't be sure. Even if she said it, he kind of expected her to react so strangely. She was a strange girl after all, coming from a peculiar family and bearing a cursed surname.

He continued to walk as a forgotten memory sneaked back into conscience. It was so far into the past, that he could barely remember the details, but Gin's face shined bright onto a blurry background, making him link the missing pieces into a puzzle until the whole image came into view.

It was one of those boring days in which nobody wanted to do anything and unwilling subalterns cried after being ordered to complete a fairly easy mission. So was the case of Ichimaru Gin, who was lounged on a sofa, snoring so loud, that the brown haired Captain going through the mountains of paperwork cringed every time he heard _him_. Not even after asking him nicely to stop with it or go to the 4-th Squad to ask for a pill, patch or something, did he show any sign of restraint. Nor did he show any sign of listening to his healthy advice either.

"Gin" came the threatening voice of the 5-th Squad Captain "Gin" he repeated this time accentuating the words with the precision of a knife cutting through flesh "did you finish the paperwork for today"

The man faked a stir, but Aizen couldn't be fooled by his lieutenant's attempts of avoiding work. After all it wasn't the first time the foxy man had tried to fake something and Aizen doubted it will be the last.

"Gin" he repeated one last time "did you …"

"And I had a beautifu' dream" commented Gin as he rose from the couch "I did Captain. And it was a pile thisssss big" he said while demonstrating the size of the paperwork stash by getting onto his toes and pointing at the ceiling "Ya don't believ' me?"

Aizen smiled softly at his lieutenant's antics. He knew it was no use to fake anything in front of Gin, because he was reading him as easily as an opened book, but force of habit pushed him to extend this charade in front of everyone, especially his most trustworthy subordinate.

"Of course I do. Let's go check my little experiment"

Gin smiled sinisterly and Aizen mirrored the other's man enthusiasm by showing a smile of his own, not so lugubrious, but far more dangerous and daring.

"Which one, captain?"

"Both" replied the man, content being read on his marble face.

Gin nodded and led the brown haired Captain through a dark corridor that seemed to be illuminated by red artificial lights, but they were so rare that the surroundings looked to be submerged in a pool of darkness. Even the walls were painted in a light shade of gray that gave a groovier appearance to the already grim hall. However the two men walked impassively, not being bothered by darkness; maybe it was vice versa, the dark feared them.

When they finally reached an equally black door, Gin opened it skillfully, being careful not to hurt his companion, and stepped into a large room. Aizen followed him inside talking in the lightened up screens which shown parts of Seireitei, mainly the Captain's headquarters, while some others, in the far corner of the room, were fixed onto Karakura. He began walking towards one of them, but Gin's inquiry halted his movements for a second.

"Is this boy re'lly that interesting?"

"He is a hybrid after all" answered Aizen "with an amazing amount of reiatsu that he cannot control. He could override the best of Shinigami in due time, if he's given the chance of course."

He took a seat on the chair standing right before the screen and began tasting some commands into the control panel. His fingers worked onto the keyboard, pressing button after button in a fast succession, but the foxy man ignored it, staring at the other man's happy face.

"And you'll giv' him the chance, Captain?" asked Gin, sounding more like a statement than a question.

"I'll give him a certainty, Gin"

"What about his sisters?" came the unexpected question.

Aizen seemed to hesitate, but then a window opened on the screen which showed 3 small text boxes. In the first there was the picture of a 9 year old boy with bright orange hair that had a 100 written at his side. The other two contained the Kurosaki twins, Yuzu and Karin, each of them being catalogued as a 5, respectively a 6 level of reiatsu.

"I don't care about them. They are far too weak to be my concern." He answered while closing the unimportant two text boxes, not bothering to observe the twin's appearance "He has a 100 level of reiatsu at the young age of 9. I wonder how much will he have at 15, or 17"

Gin just kept the usual smile plastered on his face, but a shadow seemed to be forming under his eyes, an obvious sign of concern. Of course Aizen noticed his subaltern's shady disposition, but didn't inquire him upon it. If Gin was having a bad day, it was his own fault for being too straightforward with it and not coating it with a mask of benevolence and naivety. Naivety was always the easiest to play since it was also the most instinctual part of the human soul.

"What abou' the otha' experiment?" he interrupted Aizen's digressing thoughts "It is as important as this one?"

After taking his time to decide if he should answer the question or change it into something beneficial, Aizen finally settled to use the last.

"Let's send it to Karakura for now … and see what happens" he answered as a sigh came from his partner's always smiling mouth, making him turn towards the white haired Shinigami "Something wrong, Gin?"

"No" mumbled the man "You wanna test him, 'ight? To see if he's powerful enough to withstand the reiats' of an incredibly powerful Hollo', or …"

When the "or" reached Aizen's ears, a small cruel smile appeared at the corner of his lips. As always Gin read his intention quite easily, but not even he could understand his master's ultimate plan. He was the only one coming close to the truth, but not nearly close enough to decipher it integrally. If he were to understand him completely, Aizen would have been just another pawn playing by Ichimaru's rules, but it was the opposite: Gin was the pawn and he was the master. Taking him mind away from the details of his relationship with the foxy Shinigami, Aizen, now facing the computer yet again, said smoothly addressing his lieutenant.

"Let's go see it"

Gin seemed to be expecting Aizen's reluctance in sharing his plans, but he was too used to his strange behavior to dwell on it. Still if his captain was having something in mind for the orange haired boy, it was bound to be something horrifying that will probably shook him from roots and change his future forever; not in a good way either.

For once Gin felt concern for this little boy that had no fault in being born as an anomaly of nature. He peeked at Aizen, who was checking the status of some test tubes filled with a strange colored liquid of some sort, and thought what a dire man he was for inventing the worst creatures the world has seen.

"Her' it is" he suddenly interjected in his usual spontaneous way when they reached a small window "The Grand Fisher"

The two Shinigami peered inside at the ugly Hollow, which was sleeping peacefully in a corner, snoring loudly in short bursts. One would never guess the evilness hiding inside that small retaining room, because the brownish fur was hiding the creature's face under a cover of cuteness and its real abilities were kept under dark by a red collar.

"Well … let's unleash my creation once again." commanded Aizen, while Gin pressed some buttons "Don't forget to take that leash away after you release it. I do not want my creation to be restrained in using its beautiful abilities."

Aizen eyes focused back on the dark street of Karakura. The memory had ended and along with it, the hope of being able to make experiments ever again. Most of his creations had died anyway, starting with Metastacia and Grad Fisher and ending with Tia Halibel and the famous Espada. At least he remembered who she must have visited in the graveyard: her mother, the mother he had, indirectly, killed.

"You have the face of a criminal Samaki" muttered Karin, slapping his chest instinctively.

He stirred, hoping that she didn't wake up and see his murderous expression of a horrifying villain, but, when his eyes made contact with her rigid form still attached to his front, all worries flew away. She was clearly asleep and now snoring like a pig.

In his mind came back their first serious discussion and also the first time he realized his utter and undeniable attraction towards her. The day they talked about gods and Greek Mythology and shit he didn't think he'll ever discuss with some mere human. What was with Kurosakis and their inability to act like a normal bunch of people with average interests and average ambitions? They had to be out of the ordinary, they had to be hot tempered and incredibly stubborn or the world wouldn't be the perfect place for them.

He moaned when realizing he had been so submerged in his thoughts that he didn't hear the siren of an ambulance roar in the background. He was always thrown off by the resemblance between the roaring of a motorbike's engine, an ambulance's siren and a Hollow's scream and couldn't really distinguish which one was which when being confronted with one of them.

Karin trembled from the cold that squeezed through the thin material of her overcoat, but didn't wake up. She hugged Aizen more than before and pressed her face into his shoulder. It was hard and uncomfortable, but warm and the perfect place to rest upon.

'_The Kurosaki family may not be average in power and level of reiatsu, but they sure share a high level of stupidity and naivety._' Thought the man as coldness passed over his arms and inside his jacket '_Who else would ever dare to ask help from someone that did what I did_.'

"You're playing a dangerous game Kurosaki Karin" he whispered in her ear, knowing she was too far away to hear him "but you chose the wrong person to play with. This will be so much fun" he finished as a horrifying smirk widened on his mouth, giving away the pleasure and content he was feeling.

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Important Note: When I refer to a certain amount of degrees, I mean it on the Celsius scale. Also in cannon Aizen didn't create Grand Fisher, but I was tempted to use him since Metastacia was one of his experiments and, let's not forget, that he's the killer of Shiba Kaien (the ex lieutenant of Squad 13). Anyway it adds to the pile of crimes Aizen gathered under his belt *evil laughter*

Sorry for the late update … 3 weeks. School is such a drag! And I had an awful cold (thank god it wasn't flu, or I would have been stuck in bed with a thermometer shoved down my throat 24/7). This chapter was incredibly hard to write, and I do not know why; also it had been written in small pieces: for example the first half was written 2 weeks ago, while the second was written in these last days.

I loved all the reviews I received at the last chapter. Thank you very much for sharing your opinion and some of you giving me ideas for the future of this story. As for all the things you praised me for, I didn't even notice. I wrote it instinctively. Is that a bad thing? I'll answer the reviews the best I can (sorry if I forgot someone; I swear it's not intentional)

I do not really want to make Karin a Shinigami yet, because there is the problem of the transformation: Ichigo had gotten through hell to become a Shinigami and I do not want something like that for her & anything else would be too unrealistic. As for Aizen having an epiphany that he loves Karin, not gonna happen. I have something planned, but it's a long way from here. Also I do not have plans for the Atlantis book, but I can make something from it. I'll think about it. There are still many clues I want to add and so little time T_T


	18. Daring requests

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter hadn't been beta-ed yet. I apologize for my usual mistakes (I might have eaten some words or/and letters). I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 18: Daring requests**

"_As I'm writing now, Toshiro is discussing something with Ichigo in the other room They had been there for at least one hour and I'm worried about both of them. For some reason I think that Toshiro is in the biggest danger judging the face Ichigo had shown at the dinner table._

_My brother had acted pretty normal the first two times I came back home -accompanied by Toshiro-. Well .. normal for an extra overprotective brother. I mean, he made fun of us, presented an upset face and then let him go with a "Don't put Karin in danger". Nothing unusual, nothing exaggerated. We had an average talk about soccer and Toshiro helping me with my match. As I said, Ichigo was fine._

_However after a week of constant escorting home, Ichigo began to have suspicions about the nature of our relationship. He got ballistic when Toshiro asked for the salt and in the process of telephone-sending he touched my hand. I gotta add … my HAND. Not my leg, not my chest … just my damn little finger. Anyway Ichigo made a scene, taught us a couple of swears and sent Toshiro to hell and back a couple of times, before cursing all his alive and dead ancestors. Maybe I exaggerated with my brother's erratic behavior, but Ichigo's strawberry-red face had been priceless. Imagine an oversized strawberry screaming at an impassive snowman. Quite a spectacle._

_It was the biggest circus ever … I laughed like crazy with Toshiro two days later when we remembered. Heh! _

_I gotta run to my soccer match. There is a local gang of middle scholars that tries to take over our neighborhood, but they didn't think they'll encounter the best soccer team ever: Me and Toshiro._

_I think I hear Toshiro calling my name from outside. I need to go before my brother notices … _

_Ohh …Crap … he did …_"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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"You finally came back dear" interjected Aizen's adoptive mother as she opened the door without taking the necessary precautions of looking through the eyehole first.

Therefore it came as a surprise when she was rewarded with the sight of her _son_ carrying an unconscious girl, covered in blood –not too much but enough to scare the shit out of her- in the middle of the night, after he has had previously dashed out without sharing a word with his estranged family. By her angry face, Aizen was sure he was in for a lecture and being lectured by a mere human wasn't on his _to do_ list while being stationed in the Human World.

"Mother" he began with a faked soft voice "I know the sight is terrible, but she's my schoolmate and when she called me asking for help, I just couldn't refuse."

The woman frowned at Karin, noticing that she was snoozing silently in her son's arms. Being clearly enraged by the young girl's presence, the woman rolled her eyes (something with occupying Aizen's all so beautiful chest), but didn't argue with her son's decision. She quickly agreed, making space for the man and the _extra luggage_, as she liked to refer to the black haired Kurosaki.

"Thank you" he smiled sweetly.

However when he stepped into the room, he was suddenly assaulted by his adoptive father's interrogation. He stated with "Who is she?" "Is she even a she?" and ended with a new set "Why is she so bloody? Did you fuck her, or did you rape her?". Through a miracle, Aizen kept his cool during the whole ordeal of questions and shyly answered replies, but at the last one, he was really tempted to break the man's neck, barely having the force to stop the impetuous feelings from pealing outside. Still it was far from over, because the conversation hit its peak when the abnormal father asked is he could borrow her for a round.

That was the moment Aizen whished he had a knife in the vicinity to stab that animal, which shouldn't be even put in the same class as humans. Maybe he was very apt in insulting the human species, but his adoptive father was too much of a pig to taint the name of "human".

After what seemed like an eternity, the man rushed him away, while his mother informed him that they already ate and he should grad a bit from the leftovers. Aizen said a fast good bye and retreated in his small room, slamming the door behind him, with his right foot, since his arms were occupied by the sleeping girl.

"Aizen" whispered Karin, not sounding like someone barely woken up.

"Since when have you been awake?" inquired the man, eying her strangely.

The answer confirmed his already formed suspicions.

"Since you father asked if I participated in a gangbang"

"Oh … "

"Yes …" remarked Karin awkwardly.

Aizen let her down, very slowly and with extra care, which came as a big surprise, because Karin was 100 percent sure he'll let her go like a rock. She didn't study his behavior, just being grateful for avoiding another possible wound. She was pretty beaten up, so any rough movement was sure to leave a mark.

"I'll go get something to eat" said Aizen, avoiding eye contact and not waiting for an answer.

One moment later he exited the room, leaving behind Karin to study the tiny room situated at the first floor. It was pretty small, comparable with half of the room she and Yuzu shared, but unlike their room, it was stuffed with different books, articles and newspapers. It would have been the same with hers if it wasn't for Yuzu cleaning every spot and hiding her books and study materials in different spots; like the kitchen cupboard, some unused closet and sometimes the bathtub. Yeah, Yuzu did posses a good sense of logic, but it seemed to fail when being put up with the almost infinite amount of paper her sister brought home, or junk, as Ichigo said every time he bumped in one of them.

Karin moaned as she observed that no matter how many things were in the tight room, they were all piled up in every corner, still occupying half of the usable space, while the other half was providing a minimum path to shift from one place to another.

By the looks of it, Aizen was very meticulous in ordering them, but what really mesmerized her was the vast area of information those books covered. From medical articles and advanced mathematics to politics and history. It was a collection that could put to shame a fairly decent bookstore. The girl was entitled to wonder from where did this thirst for information come from; clearly not from his abnormal parents. Judging by their level of intelligence, she was sure they weren't the ones interested in reading anything apart from maybe a little early gossip.

Some of the books were from the school's library, she could deduce from the blue stamp imprinted on the first page, while others were probably bought from an antique store, because there was no way a new book could look as shabby as those appeared to be. When she grabbed one from a top shelf, the content spilled on the floor, leaving her with a seedy cover hanging from her hand. She would have sworn to the moon and back if it hadn't been for the rushed steps of a man climbing the stairs to attract her attention.

"Seriously?" interjected Karin at the papers, hoping they will gather in a pile by themselves, just by glaring at them.

As it was normal nothing happened, except the rushed entrance of a broad-shouldered tall man wearing the face of a serial killer. Karin stared, not recognizing him, but when he began to mumble an intelligible gibberish, she kind of recognized the husky voice that had previously inquired Aizen about his relationship with her. There was no way she could have mistaken the voice of the man that asked if she was male or female.

The reason why she didn't recognize him physically was because she was trying to fake sleepiness at that particular moment and keeping her eyes closed was part of the requirements.

"Hello little girl" he tried to say smoothly, sounding more like a snap.

Karin faked a smile, but it was too forced to fool anyone. That man had the face of a rapist and being in the same room, gave her the chills and (for the first time) the wish to call Aizen normal. She was really beginning to panic and that came from a girl that had been in tougher situations infinite times before.

"Do you want to sleep in our spare room?" he asked while approaching her "Or maybe you want to sleep here with my boy"

Karin could swear he meant anything but _sleeping_.

"Thank you very much, but I'll pass the spare room offer" she said after thinking that on neutral territory, like another chamber, it existed a small possibility for the rape-faced man to try funny things. If she was with Aizen the possibility of being raped existed, but in a smaller percentage "Thank you again for the hospitality" '_Now fuck off_' she added mentally.

"No problem" he smirked "Samaki is an innocent boy. I'm sure he won't do anything inappropriate to a lady"

'_Innocent my ass. He's as innocent as you asshole_'

"Yes, of course" '_Now go to hell_'

The man didn't seem to notice the subliminal messages Karin was trying so desperately to fire in his direction. As a matter of fact he was ignoring them completely, staring at Karin like a wolf goggling at a defenseless sheep caught in an ingenious trap. It was different from the looks Aizen usually sent towards her at school. While Aizen was being an unbelievable ass, with a largggee ego and an equally sized god complex, his father really gave the impression of a killer.

Only when the walls shook from the impact of the bedroom door hitting the frame, Karin realized she wasn't alone with Aizen's father anymore. The slim figure of the son appeared besides the tall man and passed by nonchalantly with his arms full of plates, bandages and a bottle of alcohol.

"Is there something wrong, father?" he asked while throwing the non-breakable articles, like the bandages, on the bed and placing the others on the desk.

Gritting his teeth in annoyance, maybe because of the vexing interruption, the father answered reticently:

"No … I was proposing to your friend here to sleep in our spare room, but she prefers to sleep with you"

Aizen sent her a knowing look, without adding the usual smugness Karin was so used to. It really took her by surprise, especially when a moment later, a serene smile formed on his face, tugging forcefully at the corner of his lips. Why would someone try to deceive their own parents, wondered Karin silently, watching with extra care the show presented before her.

She was witnessing a peculiar staring contest in which two very masculine men glared at each other in their own strange, yet distinctive way. While Aizen had a soft expression of benevolence and ignorance, his father looked more like a predator than ever. Karin had seen those so called rape-faces drawn on scary posters and demotivational wallpapers, but nothing could prepare her for a real rape-face.

Finally, the old man, sighed and left the place, not before smirking one more time at her.

Through a miracle, and an unbelievable speed, Aizen's face metamorphosed in a feral scowl that wasn't explicitly directed at her, or at anybody for that matter, but it sure scared the hell out of her. Only when he lost the hard edge and seemed to relax his facial expression, Karin dared to speak up.

"Aizen" she interjected.

He didn't bother to answer, being already aware of an awkward question, statement.

"You are sooo normal in comparison to your parents" she focused on the _so_ and Aizen really couldn't decide if she was honest or just an ironic bitch. His vote swayed at the second choice pretty quickly.

"Do you ever think before throwing words out through your mouth?"

"That implies that you do, right?"

This time she was defiantly being sarcastic.

Aizen raised an eyebrow as his lips twitched upwards towards his eye, in what was supposed to be a smile. As a reaction, Karin frowned, resembling her brother more than ever.

"I'm adopted anyway." Informed Aizen, turning around and begging to fuss over the objects he had brought with him from the kitchen, respectively the bathroom.

Not being able to see Aizen's face, Karin sighed and took a seat on the window's frame, looking throughout it to the people walking on the street. She tried not to stare down at the dark ally and the little men and women swarming from right to left like sedulous ants, losing their identity in a sea of dark. It was impossible to think that she was just a little, unimportant part of the world, jumping from one place to the other accompanied by a mystic melody and played on by the irreversible flow of destiny.

While Karin contemplated upon the dark corners of philosophy, the man had grabbed the alcohol bottle and was squeezing it with so much force, that he even wondered how it didn't break under the unbelievable pressure that was forced upon it. His teeth were clenched and only the unusual strained jaw gave up the real situation of his psychic. It was surreal for a calm and even dosed man like him to feel anger and hate towards an illusion of mind. For just one second, when Karin had frowned at him with that face, he had seen _him_; he had seen Kurosaki Ichigo, not Kurosaki Karin as he was supposed to. He had seen his archenemy and couldn't stop the painful memories of his defeat from rewinding over and over again in his head.

The enraged man tried to breathe in, struggling to take control over his feelings. Never in his life had he though he'll ever need to subdue his temper, but just this once he had totally lost it. '_She frowns like him, she looks like him, she acts like him, she even talks like him. They are both two cocky humans._' Were the thoughts that crossed his mind as something was tossed by his ear, hitting the book placed at the top of the tallest pile of books.

"The lost city of Atlantis" suddenly said Karin from behind him "Did you read it?"

"Yes" he replied dryly.

After an awkward moment of silence, in which Aizen had managed to temper his spiky nerves, he finally decided to break it with a sudden statement.

"You need to change"

"I know" she snapped peevishly, focusing her attention on anything but the man standing in front of her. She was really embarrassed by his ridiculousness "care to share some of your clothes with an invalid lady"

"Where's the lady?"

"Bastard" she poked his chest, since it was the only part of his body she could reach with great ease. She would have slapped him at the back of the head, or over it, if it hadn't been for the big difference in their height.

Aizen just rolled his eyes and handed her a white shirt "Here … something to wear. The sanitary alcohol and the bandages are right here." he pointed at the objects carelessly thrown on the unmade bed respectively the table "And you can get to the bathroom through that door"

She followed his finger, which pointed this time at a white door masked into the wall. A grasp left her mouth when realizing that, with all her observation skills, she just didn't notice the disguised door, hidden only by a slightly resembling coloring between itself and the wall.

Not wanting to embarrass herself more, Karin listened to her friend's advice and moved her location in the little bathroom, but not before picking up the items necessary for cleaning and disinfecting her wounds.

Only when she was out of the man's reach, with a strong door separating them, Karin finally began to take in the real situation she had thrown herself into. She was alone and unprotected in a house full of creeps. There was only one conclusion she could come up with, which could be of some worth: she was mad, mental and just fucking insane.

Realizing that it was entirely her fault for calling Aizen, and not someone more _normal in the head_, the Kurosaki girl began the dreadful job of cleaning her body and washing away the last remains of foreign blood. She slowly slid her clothes off, peeling the bloody shirt from the wound with extra care. Still even with all these precautions, the wound was very deep and arched even at the slightest touch. After that, she discarded the remaining articles of clothing in a corner, leaving the undergarments for the last. Only after her black bra and matching panties were thrown in the already formed pile of clothes, she jumped in the shower, under the refreshing hot water and proceeded in scrubbing her body clean.

It took a total of 20 minutes, but at the end of those, Karin was free from the annoying, sticky substances attached to her body. She bandaged her arm with the usual clumsiness of a natural tomboy and quickly gathered the clothes from where they had been deposited.

Meanwhile Aizen occupied his time with a little debate over the future actions he might intend to take. He didn't know if he should continue with his initial plan of bedding her swiftly or just let the world take its course. With one last glance at the closed door of the bathroom, the man took a seat o an empty chair and began reading one of his many books.

Half an hour later Karin emerged from the room, along with a cloud of hot steam. Aizen didn't look at her, but felt the hot breeze hit his cheek.

"Close the bathroom's door. I do not want to turn my room into a sauna" he said, not forgetting to sound at least twice as annoyed as he really was.

"Whatever. You know that because of the high humidity your bathroom is full of mold. You should leave the door opened from time to time, especially after you have bathed. I think that it's enough to leave the door and a window opened in the morning when you prepare to go to school, and close it when you come back." a moment of silence followed "Seriously! Are you even listening to me, Samaki?"

"Not really." he answered, flipping the page.

His attention was solely on the book and Karin felt a little hurt for being ignored when giving healthy (and free) advices.

"You are aggravating!" she snapped at him, kicking a statue that happened to rest on the bed table.

The object flew in the man's direction, barely missing a disproportioned pile of books, but he caught it nonchalantly with one hand and proceeded in reading the book like nothing had happened.

"And you need anger management lessons" he stated bluntly while putting the statue back at its rightful place.

"And you need a new brain"

"Never knew you were one for clichés, Karin."

Karin pusher her lips in a thin line, but didn't answer, adverting her gaze from the reading male.

Feeling the sudden loss, Aizen switched his attention on Karin, who was looking through the window. He barely had time to wonder what had triggered the sudden change of behavior, when his eyes made contact with a very _attractive_ sight. The book covered the instantaneous reaction of licking his lips, but his gaze lingered a little too much on the girl's slim figure, checking her out from head to toe like she was some kind of praised work of art.

He complimented his choice in picking a white blouse instead of a plain old black shirt and looked hungrily at the steam emerging from her heated skin. Who knew hot showers could be the perfect turn on. His concentration was however broke, when her voice reached his ears.

"Aizen, why do our discussions end like this all the time? We are bickering like a cat and a dog every time we see each other. It's getting awfully ridiculous and boring." began Karin, peering at the night sky "Why can't we just talk like two normal people? Without fighting!"

He came behind her, silently like a predator, and put a hand on her stomach, pushing her back into his chest. It was more a reflex than any kind of need for body contact; the reflex of wanting, lusting and touching. His hand could have easily slipped inside the crack the shirt made at the front, but Aizen had a feeling that Karin won't appreciate being attacked so suddenly after coming into his _home_. And he was as always quite right in his beliefs.

Even if Karin's composure remained the same, rigidness spread through her body, so the man could actually feel and see the muscles contracting at the surface of the steamy skin. He tried to relax her by drawing circles on her belly, but the reaction was the opposite of what he had expected.

"Because we are not normal" he whispered in her raven hair, inhaling her aroma as her body got stiffer under his invasive touch. It seemed that Karin was really what some called, a tight ass "What are you thinking right now Kurosaki?" he continued to whisper sensually.

However the response took him be surprise. Or, if he took into account the last time they shared an intimate conversation, he shouldn't have been so thrown off.

"I'm thinking that if you don't let me go in this instant, I'll kick you in the nuts and they'll go ding-dong … again if I might add."

"Really?"

Karin frowned at the tall figure mirrored in the window, feeling a hint of smugness in his smooth voice. She was still able to see his left eye from somewhere between her dark tresses, so it was pretty easy to guess the pleasure every sarcastic world she shared gave to him. The brown orb was focused on her reverberating image, levitating at the corner of his eye. He was looking like a criminal, yet she wasn't scared.

"Yeah, really! Seriously man, you need to stop invading people's personal space and let's not forget about touching them without being invited" she looked down at her front, staring insistently at the long fingered hand belonging to Aizen "I hope you are smart enough to catch my drift … or maybe you are just another retard …"

The man let her go, pushing her forward disgusted by her incorrect statements and hoping to spot her from continuing.

"You are driving me crazy with that nonchalance _probably_ inherited from some stupid relative of yours."

Karin ignored him, like she did most of the time, and dashed at the piles of books hidden under the desk. She had seen there a delicious read, but by the time she understood its potential, that annoying thing called Aizen's adoptive father, had already gotten into the room. But now she had the chance to study it thoroughly. To be precise, it was a book called "Quotes".

Aizen followed her body as it squeezed under his desk, struggling with the wooden table. It was somehow hilarious to watch and he couldn't stop thinking that there wassomething essentially wrong with the Kurosaki girl. There was something dysfunctional with her family as well, but she was by far the strangest of them all.

"Found it!" heard Aizen a cry of triumph as a bang erupted from under the table, followed by the empty sound of a head hitting the wood "Fuck! Why did you have to put it right under the desk? Are you a retard?" the question had been directed at Aizen, obviously, but he did have a hard time taking her seriously, especially while facing her butt instead, as it would have been polite, her face "Are you deaf as well Samaki?"

That was the moment Aizen lost all his patience and judging how she had treated him since coming into his home, he had really been generous enough with the amount of patience he had showed. He got onto his knees and grabbed her ankles tightly so she won't be able to escape easily. Then he flipped her on the other side, not caring that her head had collided with the table for the second time that night, so she would be able to look him in the eye. After he had accomplished the task of _attracting_ Karin's attention, Aizen hovered over her in a predatory way and slammed his hands down beside her head, framing her whole body with his so much bigger one.

"I am not retarded and I am definitely not deaf." He growled dangerously "Do you understand or do I need to be more persuasive?"

His mouth widened in a horrifying smirk when his lips formed the word _persuasive_. It was no problem for Karin to understand the real meaning of his words, but she wasn't easily scared either, as she had proven countless times before to the stoic male. So Aizen creepy smile wasn't a big deal for the already used to Kurosaki Karin.

"Are you done?"

"What?" came the husky reply, scratching at her inner ears.

She looked him in the eye, seeming to be kind of detached for someone stuck under another person's possessive body.

"I had asked you if you are done with this circus Samaki"

Having a perceptive mind, Aizen translated her statement in what she really meant to say.

"What have you expected when you set foot in this house?" he asked, literally breaking the ice "What could you possibly want after what happened? Tell me … What?"

Karin avoided her gaze, not believing he was capable of bursting into the subject with such force and without a proper prelude. They were both very good at delaying the inevitable with a little digressing and a lot of filler discussions, however this time Aizen wasn't in the mood to play. She could see it in his eyes, she could feel it on her skin, she could sense it in his soul, but for the first time it didn't scare her. Moreover it gave her the courage to continue, to finally put an end to something that bothered her for too long.

"Maybe a little courtesy, a little understating" she admitted reticently, still staring at anything but him "but topmost I wanted my friend back, not a hormonal bastard that cannot keep it in his pants. I still want my friend back, if he's interested."

"Direct as always, Karin" he sneered trough his teeth, shifting a little, before lifting his body from the ground.

If his answer was a yes or a no … it was left for debate, but it was definitely a maybe. Still for Karin it was more than enough and more than she had expected to resolve in one sudden exchange of remarks.

"Are you planning to sleep there" he said, annoying her with his smug expression.

"Asshole"

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One hour later, after they ate in silence and Karin showed him the book she had been searching for under the desk, they finally decided to shut off the lights and go to sleep.

Of course that before bed time, the girl had been inquired about her little adventure in the graveyard. It wasn't a lively conversation consisting more in Aizen asking a multitude of uncomfortable questions and Karin answering with a bend heart, but in the end they both got what they wanted. Then the host served a delicious home made tea, which Karin failed to praise in any way, and a tone of chocolate, which Karin didn't fail to praise. She even said that women consider chocolate a kind of gold, a black gold.

Aizen didn't bother to understand the logic in her words being used to her little, yet existing level of stupidity. He could spread the theory to all women since they seemed to be so alike. As his ex captain use to say "_All women are the same, beautiful and my first loves, except Hiyori._"

While Karin showed him her hand saying it was finer than ever, rolling her sleeve up in order to reveal the freshly bandaged arm, Aizen thought that maybe, just maybe he had found someone unique; someone that couldn't be compared with anyone else … his personal Hiyori.

After this inner melancholy, Karin began to talk about the art of procrastination and her brother's measureless competence in this subject. She even asked Aizen if he ever found himself delaying stuff just because he didn't feel like doing them, but he answered confidently that he never took on jobs which could bore him. Here Karin reminded him of the private computer science lessons they shared at the beginning of the semester and practically shut him up.

Then as it was expected, the girl began to make fun of Aizen's habit of reading while eating, telling him that if you read while eating, you won't be able to digest what you read and won't understand what you eat either. Then she laughed admitting that she often read at the table, pissing off the mighty cook of the house, Yuzu, and sometimes her brother, but just when Rukia was around.

Just before bed, Karin complained about the bruise imprinted on her thigh. From here something very peculiar happened.

Even if Aizen couldn't care less about Karin's injury, he decided to humor her perky personality a little bit before going in a state of slumber. So he touched the inner part of her thigh, where the hand shaped bruise was located, being very close to a forbidden territory. However, she freed one leg and kicked him in the face not forgetting to scream as loud as she could.

"Hentai!"

She even dared to throw a pillow, aiming for his head, but he shielded it quite easily, not forgetting to mumble a silent "Bitch", just before he received a second foot, but this time aimed at his knee.

"Baka hentai" she sputtered.

"Anger manage-less bitch" he replied equally annoyed, earning another kick in the knee for the audacity of calling her a bitch, but he dodge it skilfully like he always did.

Two minutes later, almost all the rancour and animosity were gone, being replaced by the desire to submerge in the mysterious world of sweet dreams. There was still a tensioned atmosphere lingering in the air, but clearly rarefied by the fact that Karin was grubbing through Aizen's stuff searching for a clean bed sheet. The situation became even more idiotic when the Kurosaki girl, who was by all means an incurable prude, found a pair of pink boxers … with little red hearts drawn on them. She quickly stuffed them in a corner, under a blue shirt, which had a questionable colour, and continued her search, apparently undisturbed by the finding. But she was trying, with all her might, not to inquire Aizen on how the hell that thing got into his drawer.

Meanwhile Aizen made the bed, sneaking a peak at the girl every time she thought he was not looking. The best part was when she found the pink boxers he received from his adoptive mother as a very early birthday gift. He only wished he had had a camera in the vicinity to record the horrified expression drawn on her face when seeing the pink cotton and the tiny red shapes adorning it; just priceless.

"Here it is" she yelled, throwing the sheet on his face.

Aizen grabbed the sheet angrily and began arranging it on the almost prepared bed "You are just incapable of hading something over without throwing the said thing in my face, right?"

Karin turned around, but didn't answer. Instead she eyed the white bedding and smirked at the perfectionist style in which it was arrange. The only thing missing were the red rose petals, since everything else seemed to be in place, starting with white covers and ending with lacy pillows.

"Seriously Aizen. Are you preparing that bed for a honeymoon or something?" she asked incredulously.

"Is this an offer?"

Karin sighed, rolling her eyes "Let's just sleep", but the man could swear he had heard a "hormonal bastard" coming out of her mouth.

It took some time for the strange couple to fit in the little bed, but after 10 minutes and a lot of convincing on Karin's part (which sounded more like "do it or I'll cut your balls") they found a propitious position in which _both_ of them could relax. Karin was pleased with the arrangement, being in her favour, while Aizen pouted on his side, throwing knives at her every time his right hand met the desk. There was also the fact that he was back against back with Karin and the position gave him no room to try something funny, as Karin put it when deciding their emplacement. Getting over the details of their predicament, Aizen relaxed his body and let the dark shadows of night embrace his mind.

However, the silence didn't last long, because just when the tired man was falling in a latent state of numbness provoked by the stiffness of his gigai, Karin evoked from the other side of the bed.

"Samaki … do you think that people are enslaved by destiny?"

"Maybe. Why do you ask?" he turned around, staring back at her with a blank expression.

He had expected to be rewarded by a full view of her back, but he was genuinely surprised to see her big blue eyes shining in the soft moonlight. The last time he had seen her illuminated by shiny, yet smooth, rays of light ended in a disaster for her and for him as well. Maybe because he didn't want to repeat the same mistake, Aizen decided to listen carefully to whatever she had to say.

Feeling the penetrating stare of his friend, Karin fidgeted in the spot, looking very nervous and Aizen could swear she was being embarrassed about something. What could be more embarrassing than asking someone for shelter in the middle of the night, he wondered?

"I just have this strange feeling that" her eyes seemed somehow unfocused and dreamy "I sidestepped, that I skipped something in my way, that I'm doing something … wrong. It just feels wrong" her eyes darted in his direction "Did you ever feel it? Did you ever feel that you were supposed to go to the right and just turned around choosing left instead?"

With her lips pushed in a thin line Karin seemed far more mature than usual.

"No, because it's not an option decided by emotions or by the spark of a moment. It's decided by a rational mind and only after a careful balancing" his smooth voice echoed strongly in the small room.

"I wish I was as simpleminded as you are, Samaki" she confessed, being accompanied by a loud moan coming from Aizen's throat.

After another sleepless minute, in which the villain tried to fall asleep, Karin whispered in his ear.

"Aizen …"

"Hm?" he answered sleepily.

"Good night"

He sighed and turned around on his side.

"Will you train me?" she suddenly asked.

…

"What?"

…

_Destiny has been served. Now all we can do is to wait for its completion. _

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I know it was kind of boring … okay it was boring, but it was important to "recreate" Aizen's relationship with Karin and also a good opportunity to introduce my idea of Aizen being Grand Fisher's inventor. You know that I had to debate with myself, if I should add Aizen's adoptive parents into the picture, but I guess saya's review came to sustain this chapter's content. Then I realized it would be fine for Karin to meet his parents and understand, at a certain degree, why he's so screwed up inside. You are right … to be a teenager is a drag (personal note: do NOT want to repeat that experience ever again), but it had it funs, which I fail to find right now *laugh*

There is exactly what I had in mind freestyler91. Karin will have a hard time accepting Aizen near her after this …. Not adding the multitude of crimes he committed in SS and Rukongai.

I have just found out that Karin and Nemu are voiced by the same person *banging head against the wall* As a side note (another thing my friend told me a couple of days ago from her optional course of psychology): there is an Icek Ajzen(sometimes spelled Aizen), who is indeed a human behavior specialist. He's well-known for the Theory of Planned Behavior. When I heard I was something like o_O.

This chapter signals the 180 degree turn I had plotted for some time. Now I've decided to rush my story, or at least pick up the pace a little bit. Don't know if you felt in this chapter, but I've rushed in like a bull. Not my style I know, but I gotta get to the fun part. Sorry for the cliffy (it ain't really a cliffhanger … 2 complicated to explain)

For those of you who found Aizen's behavior somehow unusual, let's just say that he vented his frustrations on the prostitute and then calmed down. At least that's what I had in mind when writing Aizen in this chapter.

Baka means idiot & Hentai means pervert.

Thank you for the amazing reviews. They were truly amazing and every time I receive one, my heart fills with happiness. I celebrate today 100k+ words for my story *tumultuous cheering in the background*


	19. Birthday, tango and … training?

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter hadn't been beta-ed yet. I apologize for my usual mistakes (I might have eaten some words or/and letters … some lost 's). I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 19: Birthday, tango and … training?**

"_God, he can be so infuriating! Grrrr! I hate him when he acts so cool, calm like he's some kind of mature grownup. He even gave me advices … he … a snow white midget dared to give me, Kurosaki Karin, advices in soccer matters. I have played soccer since being born. I even played soccer in my mom's belly … okay, the last part might have been exaggerated, but I'm still much better at soccer than he'll ever be in a million years._

_Okay … I'll start from the beginning._

_We, as in me and the gang (the 4 freaky guys hanging around me like leeches) decided to have a match against a local team. No big deal & nothing to worry about, except that the all mighty and all knowing Shinigami Captain Toshiro Smartass thought it would be **educational** to teach me some tricks before the collision._

_Yep … he even said he will **share** some of his past experiences with me in order to make me, how did he say again … Yes! Stronger. Can you believe it? Like I AM NOT STRONG enough already. I beat up at least a dozen of middle scholars with my bare hands and didn't cringe for a moment. I've put in hospital 3 men that tried to attack my sister and collected their teeth from the asphalt, hoping that I'll complete my collection one day (sounds like a sadist, right?)_

_The best part has yet to come. I have told him about this stuff, about banging people like punching bags, and he said that soccer is about skill not about beating somebody till they cannot stay on vertical. It really took a lot of self control not to show him there and then how much I **love** to beat disobedient white haired brats …_

_The worst part is that he is partially, I repeat, partially right. It doesn't mean I'll ever lose my appetite for kicking his ass, but … dunno … maybe someday we'll get to some kind of agreement … maybe._

_There is a positive side: __**I cannot find anyone worse than him even if I try.**_"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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The next morning …

"Samaki …" whispered Karin, poking her bedmate's face with the index finger "Are you still there?"

The man gave a loud snore, before shoving her away and proceeding to turn on the other side. He had been very tired after the previous night's events, but what really took its toll on him was Karin's constant presence beside him throughout the whole ordeal. Even the slightest movement Karin made during the sleep was the perfect reminder for his position. It was like a permanent turn on.

"Train me!" yelled Karin in his ear, shaking away the last remains of sleepiness.

Aizen suddenly remembered where he was and with who.

"No" he responded apathetically.

"Why?"

"Because."

Karin jumped from the bed, grabbed the mattress and pulled it from his grasp. Searching in vain for the cover and also being ungratefully welcomed by the cold air of a bright morning, Aizen was forced to give up his original plan of ignoring the little pest. He eyed her angrily, observing with surprise that she was smirking at him. What was spread over her face couldn't really be catalogued as a smirk, since it resembled the innocent smile of a child, who happed to be more ironic than the majority.

"You're one crazy woman" he said while stretching his back.

The abused back gave a low crack. Aizen really hoped it wasn't a broken rib or other overexploited part of his fake body. He was neither in the mood nor in the situation to afford a new gigai and creating another one from scratch took time and materials, which he didn't have in his possession.

"And you're a freak show" came the girl's reply.

"I won't change my mind, Karin"

"Insufferable bastard"

And they continued to argue … like they always did.

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Aizen said no the first 100 times Karin asked to be initiated in the complicated, yet catchy, arts of fighting. Of course she insisted, but he refused vehemently, prolonging his response for 3 more days. It took a total time of 3 hours to change his mind and even after those, he wasn't sure he'll keep his promise to train her. She had asked _only_ for physical training, so it was no danger in discovering his true identity or level of reiatsu. Due to the enormous amount of pleads and an equally massive amount of threats, Aizen had been forced to accept. It really took a lot of convincing on Karin's part, but it seemed to work in the end.

So they had decided to have the first session after the Christmas party.

Yeah, the soccer team had been invited, which was more like obliged, to attend to a party thrown in the honor of the approaching snowy season. It was, as the team's coach proclaimed in a baritone voice, a tradition nobody broke in 100 years. Of course Aizen and Karin shared a look that said something like '_I doubt the school existed 100 years ago_', but nobody noticed.

Also the city seemed to approve, being completely covered in shiny Christmas bells and artificial trees adorned by unstylish pink tinsels. People swarming like excited beetles didn't help in enlightening the situation, but at least they didn't annoy Karin as much as pink did. She also tried to ignore the fact that it was only 9th of December, not freaking Christmas yet, so no motive to sing Jingle Bells at the corner of the street and throw artificial snow in the air like it was some kind of newly discovered fashion.

That's how the morning of 10th of December welcomed the irritated black haired Kurosaki twin.

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"Good morning my shiny flower" sang Kurosaki Isshin, waving his hand desperately above his raven head like she was miles away waiting for a signal.

"Good 'orning" mumbled Karin in the pillow, missing the accent on _m_.

One moment passed in which the father trooped around the room performing the usual morning ritual of being a pest for the twins, but something was at amiss and Karin felt it in the air. Suddenly the girl popped the heavy eyelids lingering like covers over her tired vision and stared, with the corner of the eye, at her father. He was indeed acting like he always did, goofing around, playing with Yuzu's hair, singing stupid pirate songs, except …

"What was that good morning?" snarled Karin from under the scraggy quilt, after she had discovered the source of her distress "Where is the usual violent, head kicking good morning?"

The man whirled on his heels 180 degrees at high speed and barely had enough time to protect his face from being posted on the wall as the second deceased family member. It was a miracle that he stopped in time or Karin would have had a hard time collecting the body parts later. Then he turned towards her, abandoning the acrobatics for later when he would be in larger room, and kneeled beside her bed with both his hands pointing at the sky in a desperate plea for … something.

"It was my love to youuuuuuuuuuu" sang the father happily, grinning like an idiot at the motionless ceiling.

"It's his birthday, Karin" said Ichigo quietly from the doorway.

"Karin, kiss your handsome daddy" interjected the father, popping beside her on the bed, before she could comprehend the fact that her brother had indeed addressed her directly.

She was about to give him a well-deserved foot in the mouth when the real meaning of Ichigo's words sank in her conscience. It was the man's birthday and no matter how hard it hurt to admit, it was supposed to be a day in which everybody acted _nice_ towards him, without expecting something in return. The girl gave a desperate sigh, noticing the bouncing father and being very, as in very, close to act upon her first intention, but she kept it bottled up inside.

"Okay" she agreed, kissing his cheek rapidly, hoping it would be enough till next year, but she was wrong.

"Now jump on my bosom and show your love by …" began Isshin, before being rudely interrupted by a perilous punch in the face which resulted in a dizzy, black eyed father.

He tumbled on the floor like a rock and remained there unconscious, fuming from the friction made between him and the parquet. Only momentary moans of pain proved he was still alive and breathing, but even those were so rare that Karin had doubts regarding her father's status. Ichigo who was leaning against the door frame shook his head and smiled at Karin. It was almost like he encouraged her to cultivate the violent nature that described her so well. As a response she mirrored his smile, putting a little more sarcasm in it than necessary.

"Let's not exaggerate" she smirked at Ichigo, but intended to address the words to Isshin.

If it was some type of indirect addressing, Ichigo wasn't sure, but at least his sister was acting normal around him and nothing could beat that. He displayed a serene smile and rushed them at the dinner table, where Yuzu was arranging the plates carefully around a bowl of fruits. Karin was very tempted to scold her sister and her Orihime-ish choice of food, fruits and milk with cereals, but her stomach growled loudly, breaking her concentration. If she was enriched with a diarrhea after breakfast, Yuzu was in for the scolding of her life.

The breakfast had been quite, as quite as can be with an annoying father humming _happy birthday to me_ every 10 seconds. After 10 minutes he stopped due to a couple of punches delivered consecutively by the black haired girl and proceeded with the matutinal ingesting like nothing had happened.

Ichigo had eaten in silence, ignoring Yuzu's ramble about school and probably thinking about some of his Shinigami problems. Rukia, who seemed to appear out of nowhere over the night and into their home, was sunk into deep thoughts as well. This was sustained by her lack of reaction to Isshin's daring question about her being pregnant with his future grandson. The same thing could have been said for Ichigo.

Karin threw an inexpressive look at Renji who was salivating like a dog from the other side of the window. She wasn't sure if he was salivating at Rukia's food, or at Rukia herself. At least she didn't notice the red pineapple head's stare, or he would have acquired a free ride to the moon and back.

The day continued in the same monotonous way, stretching Karin's patience to the limit. She attended classes, soccer practice and computer science lab, she fought with Ichigo on the phone about some notorious issue he was dwelling upon … and then the night came and with the night … the Christmas party.

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The party … They had forced her to wear a dress. A dress of all things. A spaghetti dress … short, tight and girly … and yellow. Yellow as in the bright color of the sun, shining above everyone, blessing them with its warmness … yes that sun, yellow sun. And over these flaws was one which topped all of them summed in one … a low-cut V neck staring her dead in the eye. Or more like daring her to be stared upon, by hungry, hormonal bastards called men.

With the mood of a typhoon in action, Karin stepped out of the bus, while the passengers stared after her in awe, being interested especially in her strange footing. It took 10 minutes to get to the designated place, but just being there proved to be the worst challenge ever, because, as she appeared, a horde of boys, who happened to be her soccer teammates, attacked her with questions and compliments regarding her looks. She was far from being the queen of the party, but she did look better than usual.

"Captain, I didn't know you had brea…" began Tony, being immediately interrupted by a subtle kick in the groins, which was not so subtle since the whole team began to laugh at his misfortune "You look beautiful …" he added rubbing the injured organ.

After a short talk, which involved sharing banal pleasantries, the group scattered in the crowed like Captain Kuchiki's Senbonzakura, probably seeking for a dance female partner, while Aizen was left alone with Karin. They set in an uncomfortable silence, both searching synchronously for a distraction. Aizen decided to occupy his time by frowning at any man that dared to eye, leer or just look at Karin's cleavage. On the other hand Karin took a seat and began to study the room. It was the first time she had the opportunity to just scan the surroundings and the aspect of the guests. This strategy proved to be a good avocation and soon Karin was too lost in her thoughts to hear the music playing methodically in the background.

"Yellow looks bad on you" stated the man with a tone that suggested the utmost boredom.

Karin could only agree with him on both aspects (being browned off and yellow not deserving to be her cloth's color). Yet he must have preceded any limit of boredom if he was sinking as low as making small talk about a trivial subject as clothes, remarked the girl. A small smile of content flowered on her lips at the accomplishment of finding out that Aizen had indeed a normal part in him, not only the horrifying monstrosity he was putting forward every day. Maybe monstrosity was a little far from truth.

"Tell me about it. Can you imagine being stuck in a tight yellow dress?" she answered reticently.

"No"

Suddenly the foreign hand of an unknown boy grabbed hers, rushing the dizzy girl to the place where everybody was dancing. Aizen reacted instantaneously hitching Karin back in his arms. The boy turned around, noticing the disappearance of his partner, but when he saw her squashed against Aizen's chest, plus the killer glare the tall man was sending his way, he gave up and threw back a rushed "Sorry man. Didn't know she was taken"

And that's how they got into the worst predicament ever: being stuck with each other in the middle of couples dancing on the passionate rhythm of a tango. A couple frowned at them and another one told them to stop standing in the middle of the ring like two scarecrows. They got into a dance position looking expectedly at each other. Aizen kind of guessed she had some problems with any artistic subject, so he dared to ask.

"Do you have any idea how to dance on a tango?" he crouched over her, in order to avoid contact with a dancer's inexperienced hand flying too close for his liking.

With his left eye, Aizen caught a flash that resembled a man's body colliding with a support pillar, but didn't have time to dwell on it as the soft voice of his companion reached him.

"No" whispered Karin against the shell of his ear, without noticing the slight shudder crossing through the man's body immediately after "Do you?"

"Yes. Let me lead and we'll be fine"

She was about to agree, when the Kurosaki trait kicked in.

"When hell will freeze and my father will act normal"

"Now is not the time to be stubborn Kurosaki." Sniffed Aizen annoyed at her antics.

Karin swallowed her own words and accepted the situation as it was. Still stiff and unmovable, the girl shifted her body to the right following her partner's confident steps.

She was curious to know from where did this whole confidence came from. He was always being utterly impossible, stupid, retarded, aggravating, ego-centered, yet priggish and self-conceited like he was the center of the earth. Looking up at his imposing stature and gallant body language, Karin wondered what the reasons behind her deep feelings for him were. He was everything she despised at a boy, woman or person in general and yet she cared for him more then she ever did for a stranger.

Being distracted by the inner dialogue, Karin didn't notice her body's twitch and the foot pulsating under the sole of her shoe. Only when the smooth voice belonging to her partner attacked her ear did she bother to get out of the self induced dream state.

"Argh! You stomped on my foot Karin" interjected Aizen wearing his eyebrows in a tight knot above his maroon perky eyes "I have told you to let me lead the dance."

"I did let you lead the dance, so stop blaming me for your incompetence" tried Karin to confront him, not sounding too convinced by her words.

"No you didn't, or my foot won't hurt this bad"

"I … can't dance" she babbled, muffling the sound by stuffing her face in his white shirt.

"What did you say?" ask the man, hoping that his hearing was malfunctioning.

The girl suddenly grabbed his ear and made him bow till it reached her level. Only when she was sure nobody could hear them, with her tone dropping a few decibels, Karin hissed unpleasantly directly in his unprotected ear.

"I cannot dance even if you put a gun at my head and threaten to shoot me. It's impossible."

Aizne checked her expression for a visible sign of untruthfulness, but finding nothing that could point in the direction of a lie, he sighed and began to give a set of instruction; instructions which seemed peculiar and exaggerated from Karin's point of view.

"Put one of your legs between mine"

Karin's eyes widened in desperation.

"What?"

"Apart from being dance-less are you deft as well"

She didn't comment, shaking a little from the coldness spreading down her spine. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, she complied.

"Now relax your back. You're as rigid as a concrete wall." Commanded Aizen with a tone of steel.

However Karin encountered some difficulties in listening to his last order. Not that she would ever confess she had actually respected something said by a prick like Aizen, but she had two big problems that apparently weren't present at her dance partner. One was that her dress had decided to shift upwards, but this was Aizen's fault as well since his leg provoked the movement and the second was the friction between his pants and her _legs_. She really wanted to kill the bastard for …

"Relax Kurosaki" he whispered again.

'_It's really hard with your leg between mine, genius'_ screamed Karin in her inner self.

'_She isn't scared of me, but she's terrified by a simple dance. Kurosakis are definitely a different species of humans.'_ thought Aizen,misinterpreting her embarrassment and missing the redness of her cheeks.

Pushing away the hormones, Karin listened to his advices. Her body became like water in his skilful hands and soon the sensation of rigidness disappeared along with the crimson color decorating her face.

While Karin followed his steps, Aizen glared down at the top of the girl's head. He couldn't see her face and that awakened a feeling of uncertainty in his mind, but being so close was proving to be a pleasant experience indeed. Only then he noticed her little stature in comparison to his tall one. Moreover his gigai was made to be smaller than his actual height, so she was even smaller if reported to his spiritual body. She was almost as small as Hinamori, noticed Aizen, maybe a little smaller in height, but harbored the same frail constitution.

Her left hand barely reached the back of his head, but was resting on his right shoulder since it seemed to be more comfortable for her.

Meanwhile Karin was waiting for the song to end. It was the only opportunity to escape from the natural trap created by the whirling dancers, so she could go to a chair and surrender to the inviting break.

Finally the song ended, yet her hand didn't unclasp from his shoulder and her feet didn't stop from moving. He didn't seem to care either, as the next song began to play slowly like a soporific lullaby. Why didn't she just snap out of his grasp? He wasn't even forcing her to dance. As Aizen adjusted his hold on her thin waist, Karin suddenly realized the reason behind her unhealthy hesitation: she was feeling unusually safe in Aizen's arms. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long time, since Toshiro maybe, and even with him it was a portion of her that said he won't be able to protect her from everything.

However she had never truly been in Toshiro's arms, at least not as intimate as she had been with Aizen. And being picked out of the harm's way didn't register as actually being held in his arms. Even so it was peaceful to be with the white haired Captain, but couldn't compare with the strong feeling of protectiveness Aizen's presence gave her. Almost like nothing could reach her; no Hollow, no Shinigami, nothing.

'_Wait a second_' forcefully stopped Karin the dangerous trail of thoughts '_It's stupid to liken Samaki, who is just a human being like me, with Toshiro who is a Shinigami Captain. Yet right now I feel … untouchable_'

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The next morning, after a long, hot, steamy bath, Karin joined her family at the dinner table, while drying her hair. Unlike the previous morning, it was silence and Karin noticed irritably that her father was nowhere in sight. Feeling too good to inquire Ichigo about Isshin's location and not being in the mood to talk with anyone either, Karin bit down a muffin and drank her usual cocoa sweetened milk without saying anything at all.

After what seemed like the grooviest breakfast shared by the Kurosaki siblings, plus Rukia, Ichigo disappeared in his room, followed closely by his Shinigami friend.

While Yuzu had a teenage drama episode, complaining that her brother wasn't talking to them anymore and that he was estranged to the family, Karin threw a couple of clothes on her, not bothering to match their colors. Then she listened some more to Yuzu's ramblings, which at some point became illogical. When it reached the top of boringness and Karin felt like she couldn't bear another word, she excused herself for not being able to comfort her since her presence was required elsewhere.

"But it's freezing out there, Karin" echoed Yuzu from the kitchen, from where the sweet aroma of chocolate enveloped Karin's nostrils.

"Don't worry Yuzu. I'll be fine. It's just a little walk into the park, nothing dangerous" she answered rapidly, seeking a way out before the thought of turning around and devouring the chocolate stash on a month could enter her mind.

"At least take your waistcoat, or you'll get a cold wearing that thin flannel"

She dashed outside while tying the belt of her raven waistcoat, thanking Yuzu for taking care of her heath, since she wasn't the type to give a damn for things like that anyway.

It didn't take much to arrive at their meeting place. There she spotted the rock planted deeply into the ground and took a seat, waiting for her improvised sensei. While the clock kept on ticking, Karin counted every second, hoping it will erase the boredom which had begun to install in her system. One, two, three … and so on, until the soft steps of a man broke her concentration. She looked at the tall frame belonging to her friend and stated smugly.

"You look good in white … it matches your eyes"

Aizne felt the bitter taste of irony, but could only hope it won't turn into the sharp blade of sarcasm. His wish had been granted from a divinity above as Karin didn't linger on the subject anymore. She just threw another funny reply before focusing her attention on him and him alone.

"So … can we start?"

As a response Aizen lunched an attack, rushing in like someone who wanted to end it quickly. Too bad Karin wasn't the type to let go of victory so easily.

She ducked under his arm expertly, aiming for a classic kick in the shins, knowing it's the weakest link in a human's body. She may have given the impression of impulsivity and recklessness when being involved in a fight, but it was only a façade she preferred to show for the young public. Deep down Karin had a profound understanding of fighting and could almost say she possessed a fast, able mind. There were times, like the last fight she had with the 4 gang members, when rushing in was bound only to hurt more than give an effective outcome, so Karin had been forced to learn fast the rules of the street, just like her brother had done before her.

Yet, with all the studying, thinking and mental crap in the world, Karin still had a hard time anticipating Aizen's moves. At first she was barely given the possibility to avoid a punch, but her trajectory remained unchanged. However, moving forward with the plan of hitting him in the shin created an opening in her defense and Aizen exploited it at maximum. First he swept her feet from under her and then, in a swift movement, nudged her in the ribs, breaking her already shabby balance.

The force threw her on the ground, but Karin didn't give up the chance of taking him down with her. Full of resolve, the girl blocked a foot-kick which intended to hit her stomach and knock her unconscious instantaneously. With a reiatsu infused force, which she didn't even notice she had used, Karin pushed his foot away, forcing him to stumble forward. From here, her job was easy since Aizen had lost his equilibrium completely. She only had to grab his shirt and yank him towards her to finish the task of taking him down, literally.

"If I go down, you go down with me" she barked nervously as Aizen clashed with the ground.

But, unexpectedly, the man didn't seem to be shocked or even slightly disturbed by her threats. Instead of panicking like someone else might have done in his place, he displayed a confident smile and rolled over her just when she was preparing to rise from her disadvantageous position, but as Aizen had predicted, this left Karin with her whole right flank wide opened to attacks.

"If I had had a knife you would have been dead." Stated Aizen from his top position, smirking down at her.

Usually Karin would have snapped at him, but this time he was right and as much as it hurt to admit, he was more prepared for combat than her. She had no idea that this came from a multitude of secular experiences hidden under his belt, but it wasn't like she could ever find out anyway.

Trying to hide her embarrassment, the girl shifted her attention elsewhere. Like the trees, which were coincidently stripped bare of their beautiful leaves, like the trunk, that was unbelievably dark and gloomy, like the … she didn't find any other point of attraction. Apparently Karin was trying to avoid eye contact with her friend's beautiful face.

A tiny part of her was screaming after the usual harassment he put forward around her, the always personal space invasion she hated so much. Even in that moment when he was dominating her from above, he didn't initiate any contact with her body although it would have been easier than hanging over her in a delicate equilibrium … and wasn't making any perverted move on her either. Almost like he had listened to her desire and transformed back into a dear friend.

Then why didn't she like it …

"I've always thought you were the type to act before thinking" said Aizen as Karin swapped on him again.

"Did you?" came the automatic question.

Maybe it was just her imagination running wild after a strenuous sparring session, but the atmosphere around them had gotten really hot in a matter of seconds. Karin could only wonder why.

Her eyes rested on his intense gaze, then slipped downwards reaching his plump lips. One moment just one moment she was tempted to … obey her instinct. An instinct that told her she had a man that wanted her, an instinct which screamed of her attraction towards him, even if she would never admit it out loud, and an instinct which dared her to act before she could lose him like she did with Toshiro. The fear of falling again had been in vain since relapsing was her specialty, but there were mistakes she didn't want to repeat no matter the consequences. That's why Kurosaki Karin promised she won't back down from what she intended to do even if it was doomed to end … badly.

"You were _not_ wrong, Samaki"

He was about to ask what she meant, when … something happened that not even Aizen could have guessed in a million years.

She grabbed him by his jacket's collar, yanking him back onto her until their lips collided in a lustful kiss. It was soft and gentle, in total contradiction with their last forced one, yet held a sensual desire for more. This was emphasized by Karin's silent moan that came uninvited from somewhere deep down her throat, vibrating against the palm attached to her neck.

Aizen tried to understand what was she thinking, but, as always, her reasoning was behind his level of understanding. Yet he kept his eyes opened, studying every reaction moving over her face, amazed at how fast it changed from annoyance to pure bliss.

He pulled away slowly, talking a little time to gaze into her blurry orbs, clearly pleased with what he saw there, only to attack a moment later with more passion than before. One of his hands tangled in silky tresses while his mouth worked miracles onto her inexperienced one. This time he closed his eyelids, savoring the sweet sensation for as long as it lasted. Lips slipped against each other in a voluptuous motion of love and nothing seemed to matter anymore for either of them.

After a couple of minutes, which seemed like seconds for them, Aizen strained his arm's muscles, detaching his chest from her front, but kept his lips close enough to touch hers. He even brushed them slightly against her swollen mouth, tasting her delicious aroma. What could Karin do … what could she say in those moments without sounding like a brainless idiot, with an intended pleonasm.

"Are you trying to tease me?" asked Karin huskily, tugging harder onto the collar of his shirt without earning any visible result, except a barely noticeable pupil dilatation.

"Maybe" his answer came in a calm, smooth voice; _very_ calm.

"You're a narciss…"

The next kiss came unexpectedly, slamming against her swollen lips unmercifully, just like Aizen's weight dropping onto her with so much force that the girl lost her breath for a couple of seconds, only to regain it afterwards. She responded eagerly, not forgetting to add a little "bastard" between kisses.

'_I win Kurosaki Ichigo; this time you have no chance._' Thought Aizen, while tightening the hold on her raven hair and enveloping her mouth in a hungry kiss. His ego burst with pride when her small hands encircled his neck pressing onto his shoulder blades in order to feel his whole being against her heated body. Some things were just worth getting addicted to and Kurosaki Karin happened to be one of them.

Just like him, Karin had a little inner monologue, which turned into a one sided debate, but it ended with her total surrender before the feelings going through the core of her being.

'_He's dangerous, but damn it all, because danger has never tasted better_'

Electricity poured through veins, poisoning their minds, clouding their judgment and just making them lose control over rationality in that minute of brainless passion. Karin knew that there, on the concrete earth, two people were beginning something none was sure will end well, but she also knew love was just too worthy of her praising. Was it really love, or something closer to lust?

But when two deep brown eyes gazed into her dark ones, she instantly knew the answer … it was definitely a blessing from heavens above ... _or maybe a curse_.

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Yeah … well … this is one interesting training, isn't it? *smirk* I'm not good at writing kisses & trainings :( This was rushed … usually I would have stayed at the dance portion for one chapter, but I guess that it was finally time for the couple to become an item. Kind of short, but school ain't letting me go anytime soon. It's like a possessive husband sometimes, I swear.

As an explanation for this chapter's action I can give you one. Did you ever regret not telling someone what you feel, fearing you'll get rejected? And then found out that he/she had loved you back, but was too shy to say it. I know it happed to me … twice! So I've decided to make Karin a little smarter (or dumber)

I know you're losing your patience with Toshiro's return, but wait just a little longer … not too much, I promise. The worst part is that … I hope I won't disappoint you when writing that tidbit. Also I think that with the next chapter (or maybe two) I finish the first part (arc) of my story.

I've just realized that I am in the same zodiac sign as Isshin. No wonder I love him so much.

I don't have siblings, even if I would have liked to, but I do have a cat and a dog that serve as my little sisters *running to play with them*


	20. My possession

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter hadn't been beta-ed yet. I apologize for my usual mistakes. I didn't have enough time to proofread it. I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 20: My possession**

"My name is Kurosaki Karin and it means something … I do not feel like telling you anyway. Don't blame me. It's kind of embarrassing.

My father always had this fruit fetish. First he had to name my brother Ichigo. Who names his **son** after a fruit, a strawberry nonetheless? Very masculine papa! Now that I think dad **is** the embodiment of masculinity. Did you know that he liked to scream manly things at the bloody sunset? Yes, he certainly did and sometimes he brags about it like it's laudable.

Then he named me and Yuzu after fruits. I wanna kill that Goat Chin_" _

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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In Soul Society the captain of the 10-th squad was preparing his luggage for the, probably protracted departure in the human world. He didn't have many clothes to begin with, so he found it easily to choose a couple of overused trousers and two pairs of shoes. After this, he stuffed in the remaining space a toothbrush (even spirits had to keep themselves clean), a shampoo and the always necessary hair gel.

He had been informed by the Captain Commander that he'll be sheltered in Orihime's house since the Kurosaki family hadn't been told of his presence in their vicinity. Of course Toshiro asked what the reason behind this useless secrecy was, but the old man confessed he didn't want Toshiro to make contact with Ichigo or any member of his family.

The young captain knew when to listen to his leader, but this time he wasn't sure he'll oblige to his command. Also after 5 years of absence, his friend and soccer mate was sure to seek him out and inquire him on his reasoning behind the rushed leave. He had left without telling anybody, yet it wasn't his fault either. How could he have guessed that Soi Fon will need assistance in her mission in Hueco Mundo just after he had promised Karin a mythic match between the two of them?

He had damned the woman and he continued to do it for 5 long years for making his return in the human world virtually impossible. However things had changed and along with Aizen's escape all his previous fears turned into a raging fire. He was sure that no matter how upset Karin might be, his hate for Aizen beat anything else.

In 5 years the immortal bastard had found a way out of the most protected type of prison and was having the time of his life in the human world ... Or maybe in Hueco Mundo. They had no idea of his location and even if the hollows would have cooperated with them there was no guaranty the human world was the perfect place to seek into either, because he could have found another dimension to hide into.

The fact that Gin had suddenly "revived", even if he hadn't been dead to begin with, worsened the situation exponentially. The information thrown on them during the last major Shinigami meeting seemed to have embittered his lieutenant's usually light demeanor and his calmness as well. Just having the foxy captain in the vicinity awoke a feeling of uneasiness more powerful than ever felt before around him. If the spooky man's proximity was at fault, Toshiro just didn't want to know. Unlike before his betrayal, when Ichimaru's always smiling face was just a little fishy, now after all that happened with Aizen, he was plain suspicious.

The young boy released a moan, tired of thinking about one of his many enemies, and left his chambers to seek for the errant subaltern named Matsumoto Rangiku.

He found her one hour later, along with her usual drinking buddies: Iba, Kira and Hisagi. She would have been accompanied by Renji and Ikkaku as well if it hadn't been for their absence.

"Matsumoto" began the boy, eying the other 3 angrily "Have you finished your paperwork?"

"Oh, but Captain, we aren't supposed to leave for three more days. Why rush it when we can spit … spial … spill bottles together" stuttered the woman, raising her glass in the air theatrically.

A group of unseated Shinigami, too drunk to distinguish their own vomit from an apple juice, gave a loud cheer from a nearby table.

Toshiro ignored them and just as he was about to scold Matsumoto for drinking sake again, his eyes landed on the drinks scattered randomly over the table. They weren't the usual sake bottles he was used to see around his lieutenant. As a matter of fact the colorless liquid was deposited in transparent bottles which didn't have labels on them, so the captain couldn't deduce if it was alcohol or not.

"What are these?" he pointed at the bottle, addressing Hisagi this time.

The man's lips tightened in a straight line and his face reddened, making Toshiro realize that no matter the name of the thing they drank, it surely contained high amounts of alcohol. Babbling like a child caught in the act of stealing from the cookie jar, the man managed to answer, but only after having a quick visual contact with his friends.

"It's … err … Whiskey"

"Whiskey?" he repeated, searching through his database if he ever heard of this so called drink.

Maybe it was something not made in Soul Society, but somewhere else. His doubts were answered when Rangiku yelled from the other side of the room for the whole bar to hear.

"It's very popular the Human World and I can see why" she released a bark, which should have been a laugh, but in her state of drunkenness there was no way she could have distinguished between them without overloading her brain "It's the best drink ever. Maybe you should try it sometimes Captain"

"It's good for stress related problems" added Iba.

"Very good" strengthened the statement a very drunk Kira Izuru, who was laying face down on the floor.

"I can see that" responded Toshiro, not forgetting to add a little sarcasm, which remained unnoticed by the group of bacchanals.

Observing than no matter what he said, they weren't inclined to listen any of his spiritual words, the captain of the 10-th squad chose another tactic. A more direct one.

"Matsumoto. I want you sober in two hours. I don't care how you do it, but in two hours you will report to me in the office and resume your duties as the lieutenant of the 10-th squad. That means you'll have to finish filling up the reports rotting on your desk for the last decade and write a letter for each lieutenant informing them that you'll leave in the human world for an important mission"

"But Captain" cried the woman "There are too many papers on my desk. I cannot finish them ..."

"I don't care" snapped the boy angrily, not giving her the chance to finish whatever she wanted to say "Do your job for once in your life"

After this violent outburst, Toshiro dashed out of the pub, leaving behind a bunch of dumbstruck Shinigami and an ignorant Matsumoto.

The busty woman didn't seem affected by her captain's behavior, not because it wasn't unusual, since it was far from his normal pretty calm demeanor, but because she was aware of the problem bugging him daily. She knew why her captain was so angry all the time, and she couldn't blame him since she was going through a rough period as well. First there was Gin and then Aizen's escape, so it was no way the world could have continued gravitating in the same peaceful manner as it did for 5 beautiful years.

She sipped from her drink as her ears caught part of the conversations going around her.

"Who twisted his panties" joked a Shinigami.

"It has been stressful around here in the last two months" responded Iba from behind his sunglasses.

Another nameless man who didn't notice the numbered badges attached to their arms due to the cloud covering his brain, snapped at the funny looking lieutenant.

"It has been stressful for all of us. Long shifts, more unpaid hours, sleepless nights. I swear they work us like dogs and we don't even get properly paid for it either. If we're lucky a Hollow may find us and stop our suffering"

Iba didn't answer. He couldn't tell that man the true reason behind this martial law installed in Seireitei. Nobody who knew about Aizen could share this dangerous information with the public. It wasn't that the leaders' conduct suggested dictatorship, but the unknowing ones perceived it as so and acted in a similar manner.

'For my Captain it's more stressful than for you, believe me' thought Matsumoto, eying the Shiniagmi who ended the discussion.

Meanwhile Toshiro stormed out of the bar and continued to throw a tantrum at every squad member who wasn't doing his assign job. Some of them bowed at his command, others faked obedience, only to proceed in slacking off after he was out of range. Being already used to crass insubordination (he had to thank Matsumoto for that), the boy didn't go back to scold them a second time. He walked angrily towards his office, deciding to stop himself from throwing his nerves on his clueless subordinates.

"Shiro-chan" saluted a small black haired petite woman, just when he walked into the room serving as the 10-th squad's official dorm.

"It's Captain Hitsugaya" snapped the boy when he recognized the voice of his older sibling.

"Shiro-chan" repeated the woman, just to his further annoyance.

Twitching his eyebrow in frustration, Toshiro grabbed a handful of papers and smacked them in the girl's opened arms. Hinamori understood that her friend wasn't in a good mood and stopped the mockery from taking proportions, yet her face mirrored a self-pleased smile which bugged Toshiro more than a verbal attack.

"Why do I bother anyway" sighed the boy before taking the usual seat behind his paperwork-filled desk.

"I was summoned by Captain Commander-sama and he sent me here to give you a letter about our mission" stated Hinamori.

"Our?"

"Yes … I will come with you. Don't worry … I'm ok with it" tried the girl to assure him, not sounding too convincing from the young Captain's perspective.

Toshiro continued to watch her reactions, focusing his attention especially on her eyes since Hinamori was incapable of hiding her emotions too well and her eyes had always betrayed the inner mechanics of her soul.

"Please …. don't look at me like I'm some nutcase seeking for revenge. I'm fine Shiro-chan. No need to be cautious around me"

"Hinamori"

"I know what you want to say" she continued to speak her mind, not censoring anything "That I'm still emotional after what happened, that if I meet" she paused for a moment, sign of a deep, careful thinking "him, I'll react unexpectedly and put our team at risk. But I'm going to do neither of these things, though it wouldn't be the first time it happens, right?"

"Look Momo" began Toshiro to reconcile her, but she didn't give him the opportunity to state his mind.

"I am fine. I got over him a long time ago. Why does everyone think I can go insane any moment? It's stupid."

Toshiro let her speak until her whole soul was out on a plate in front of him. Only after that, Hinamori dared to look at him, studying the possible reaction he could have at her sputtered words. His gaze was not of an angry man, but of someone who couldn't decide what to do in that tangled situation.

"Sorry Shiro-chan. I overdid it, didn't I?" said the girl, freeing him from a possibly complicated answer.

"It's Captain Hitsugaya"

"Of course Captain Hitsugaya" she suddenly remembered the letter "Here's the letter given by Captain Commander. It was sealed before my eyes and I give it to you sealed. You know, I wanted to sneak a peek, but I didn't manage to gather the necessary amount of courage to do it"

He ripped the envelope and opened it, only after throwing an angry look at his annoying big sister. She mirrored his expression, or at least tried to.

However, when his eyes landed on the piece of paper unfolded on his desk, Toshiro's face became white like a marble statue. If the rigidness of his body didn't give away panic, his eyes certainly did.

"What happened?" asked Hinamori after asserting the boy's expression.

"Ichimaru" came the ambiguous answer.

Usually Hinamori would have found the whole ordeal funny and unexplainable, but now of all times for Toshiro to remind her of Gin's surname wasn't in the least a good thing. She decided not to jump to negative conclusions, so she waited and waited some more for the boy to elucidate the mystery behind the received letter. When no enlightenment came, she dared to ask.

"What happened?"

Toshiro folded the paper carefully and stuck it back in the envelope. His hands barely had enough force to place it back on the table without shredding it to tiny, untraceable pieces. The he folded his hands on his lap, presenting a facade of total calmness.

"He will come with us in the Human World"

Hinamori's reaction was just like he had expected: fear, then anger and in the end obedience. There was nothing they could do about the Supreme Captain's decision, but this didn't mean they approved it. From an objective perspective Gin was the best tracker since he knew Aizen better than anyone ever did, but Toshiro was very subjective when the silver haired traitor was involved.

Only after Hinamori left to inform Matsumoto of the unpleasant development, Toshiro had a little time for himself, even if he was supposed to finish all the paperwork in three days. With all the commotion going on around Soul Society, he had forgotten about the actual mission and what it involved, yet the fist thought regarding this matter was '_What will I say to Karin?_'

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On the other side of Seireitei, a sliver haired Shinigami was leaning against the window frame. His eyes were lost in the white landscape unfolded before his blue eyes. After betraying Soul Society and eloping with Aizen in Hueco Mundo, one of the two things he kept on missing were the white walls of his home. The other one was quite obvious and it consisted in the feelings he harbored for one particular Shinigami. In the far land of Hollows he had been permitted to wear white clothes, he had a sun above his head, but Las Noches was a gloomy place, swarming with darkness. Wherever he looked there were only groovy shadows and red stains of blood. A truly dangerous place.

"Good morning" saluted a soft voice behind him.

When Gin turned around, he was welcomed by the sight of Unohana Retsu wearing a thin white yukata. Her braid was knotted over her back, leaving her companion to see her marble-like face and matching skin. No matter how much he looked at that face, Gin just couldn't shake the feeling of guilt from arising.

Maybe because she was nothing like Rangiku, or just because from some aspects she reminded him of her more than any other woman did. It was really hard to say, especially with so little clothes to separate them.

"Good mornin' Retsu"

"Something wrong?"

The Shinigami's smile widened, making his face look like an oval adorned in the lower half by a big U. The woman, being one of the few who had the ability to partially read him, was able to tell that whatever happened unnerved him greatly. She could also deduce from the stiff posture he took against the frame, that it was relate to Aizen.

"No" he answered rapidly, trying to distract her attention from the obviously embarrassing subject by blowing a soft kiss on her pale neck.

She let him conduct his charade, knowing that at some point he'll come clean before her. It happened earlier than anticipated.

"I received this letter two hours ago from my lieutenant" the woman waited patently for her lover to reveal its content "It says that I've been assigned in the human world to a new mission, along with Captain Hitsugaya, lieutenant Hinamori and … lieutenant Matsumoto"

"What mission?" she asked patiently, not seeming in the least upset by the news.

"Findin' Aizen"

The tall man followed Unohana's expression switch between amusement and surprise, but what happened next scared him more than the woman's creepy smiles and more than her unhealthy desire for control. For the first time in centuries the captain of the 4-th squad did something unexpected. She began to laugh with all her heart.

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"Stop rubbing my thing!" snapped Karin angrily at Aizen while gritting her teeth dangerously at his hand.

For just one moment the man turned around, facing her with that smug expression imprinted on his face, but looked surprised by her statement. What really bothered him was the way she had decided to lay down her desire. He was just scrubbing away a speck of dust he had seen on her waistcoat when the strange phrasing reached his ears. And when it did, there was no way he could have stopped the left eyebrow from raising in amusement.

"That sounded bad" noticed Karin moments later.

"You said it" agreed Aizen happily.

"And you are insufferable!"

The red head didn't answer looking kind of bored, but the smirk tugging at his lips said a totally different story. Meanwhile Karin studied his face, her gaze taking a break at his maroon eyes and then at his red lips. She had always been mesmerized by his deep, cruel eyes which seemed to look right through her soul, seeking for the darkest secrets hidden there. There always existed the frightening thought of him finding out all of them at once, but deciding that it was just a stupid presumption, Karin had banished it in the corner of her mind a long time ago.

Aizen felt her staring at him and moved his iris at the corner of the eye, meeting her serious gaze. They always made conversation through eye contact and not in the more conventional oral manner. Still it was enough for an unusual couple like them that communicated more than words or simple expressions. Words have limitations, while they never seemed to be restricted by anything: not by clichés, and obviously not by commonsense.

"I have to go home" suddenly said Karin, being very tired after a long day, plus the long training session and not in the mood to play mind games with her friend "My father, brother and sister probably called the police and declared me missing a long time ago, but they do that everyday so don't worry, the policemen won't take them seriously anyway."

Aizen hooked her head and softly squeezed her against him before kissing her gently on the lips. The eagerness of her delicious response gave great satisfaction to the conceited villain and to know he had managed to melt/conquer one of the fiercest tempers ever was indeed a colossal accomplishment.

"If I had known you were such a softy I wouldn't have kissed you" whispered Karin against his parted lips while her partner gave a short laugh of content.

"Is that so?"

"I really have to go Samaki" snapped Karin while freeing her neck from the tight hold of his arm.

It wasn't like he was putting any effort in it, but this was probably his way of pronging her leave for a couple of minutes. Still it didn't seem to work since Karin seemed to be in a hurry.

Finally managing to avoid his gaze, Karin turned around and disappeared between trees. In a matter of minutes she was on the other side of the park.

The man was left behind to reflect on the complicated game he had created without noticing. Even before escaping from prison, he had time to develop a complex plan involving the important pawns in Karakura. First he had taken in account the Kurosaki family, then their friends, deciding to take the necessary precautions in neutralizing their possible involvement, but never did it cross his mind that the game he was playing was like a sword, double edged.

His plan was simple: take over all the important human's memories, giving them the appearance of being in control. His web of conspiracy was perfect. He had released a little amount of reiatsu in Karakura, small enough o remain untraceable, but strong enough to reach its goal.

He was not a fool that came in Karakura not knowing that there was a 70% percent chance to be discovered. The only thing he had to do was to envelop the humans with a shield that filtered the information not releasing all those things/words related to his person. The key word was "Aizen". It was a simple and untraceable spell, but very helpful, especially when someone like Karin was exposed every day to the Shinigami world. In fact, he had come with this idea from the start of his journey, but finished it in a rush after he had found out Yuzu's surname. It would have been an unfortunate event, if Yuzu were to speak of him with her brother and uncover his name.

It was a kido hidden under the lowest layer of reiatsu. That's why nobody noticed the little changes that had undergone in the twins' spiritual energy. While with Karin had been fairly easy to conceal a part of his energy in the vast ocean of energy, Aizen had encountered many difficulties in applying the same treatment to Yuzu, because unlike her sister, she didn't spend so much time in his presence and didn't have as much reiatsu as her either. Also she had been top priority since Karin had said a long time ago that unlike Yuzu who liked to talk with Isshin about school and friends, she wasn't too keen of family bonding.

So only after he was done with Yuzu, his attention switched on the dark haired twin.

And now the game has change to his advantage.

His senses silently traced the girl's reiatsu, instinctively following the hot trail of energy left behind her. As always it left a sweet taste in his mouth and a tingling on the surface of his gigai's skin. Her energy was warm and welcoming, like a late spring sun smiling on the cloudless sky at the barely defrosted Earth. Unlike her temperamental nature, which was one of the main reasons why Aizen bothered to study her, the reiatsu she possessed was latent and very lazy. He had noticed the abnormality the first time she spiked her reiatsu in the computer science laboratory, but had a definite answer one month later when he had her pinned to the wall and struggling against him. Even in that tricky situation, her insides had never shown signs of panic. Almost like she didn't perceive him as a real threat at her integrity.

The glow of her reiatsu disappeared gradually, being enveloped in the pools of some pretty incredible energies as she approached her destination. It took only a moment to recognize the sharp edge of Byakuya's reiatsu, the coldness belonging to Hitsugaya's energy and another one belonging to his ex-ex lieutenant. There were others as well, hidden underneath the more powerful ones, but he ignored them in favor of checking out his true enemies' possible new abilities. Still, he wasn't comfortable with their presence in his woman's home merely because they were a threat to his plans.

Talking a short break from analyzing Ichimaru's reiatsu, he remembered that in his early days as a Shinigami, one mediocre Academy teacher said that usually Soul Reapers have a cold type of energy, others, very rare, have warm energy, and the legends were the ones with dark energy. The barbarian of the 11-th squad Zaraki Kenpachi and Yamamoto were one of the few Shinigami who were clearly catalogued in the second category. There were others, but none as powerful and daring as the two sustaining pillars.

Thinking about the conspicuous similarities between the two men and Kurosaki Karin, Aizen had to debate if being around her was a good thing. She could become a gold mine if handled correctly, but the possibility of error was just as great as the accomplishment of his mission. However, there was something which bothered Aizen more than the result, something he wasn't sure he ever wanted to confess. He stared at the phone number displayed on the blue screen of his phone and the name written above it … her name. The cursed combination of two words he hated so much, yet …

His instinct told him to run after her and take her away from her family; from Soul Society's restricting hold. Far away from her brother, who he hated so much, from Isshin's protection, who could only screw with his plans, just away from everything. She was **his** not theirs. His phone gave a crack before being smashed by its owner's grip. Aizen ignored the last remains while throwing them in a suspended garbage.

The villain would have never admitted he was nervous about Karin being in the presence of so many powerful Shinigami, yet his attention kept on drifting in her house's direction every minute checking out her status. If one had asked if he was worried about Karin unintentionally uncovering his secret, he would have said yes and maybe it wouldn't have been entirely a lie, but on the other hand he didn't want some nameless Shinigami to touch her, look at her, or just think about her.

Aizen sighed when realizing the absurdness of his thoughts. Still he was a god and gods are well-known for their possessiveness. After all Karin was **his possession**.

Meanwhile Karin practically flew home in the blurry daze that took over her mind. If any of her many acquaintances had seen her in that moment, they would have probably said she was drunk or on drugs. The second choice was closer to the truth because she was high, but not on the usual narcotics her classmates used. A not so tangible drug.

She was so happy and inattentive that she failed to notice the familiar aura of an old friend appear on her radar. Karin was just too pleased with herself to pay attention to the strong reiatsu entrapping her house.

That's why when she got home it came as a surprise to see her brother's nervous posture and Renji's relatively frightened face mirroring the look of horror imprinted on Jinta's face. Only then did she acknowledge the boy's presence in the room. He was so terrified that his spiritual energy shifted in the closed space like an unleashed hurricane. On the other hand a black haired Shinigami Captain (Karin deduced his status by the white haori with the six kanji written on its back) which appeared to be the embodiment of calmness, was leaning against the door frame with his eyes closed and serenity painted on his face.

"Ichigo?" addressed Karin her brother, who didn't seem to notice her presence beside him prior to her question.

"Karin. What are you doing here?" he inquired, jumping out of his skin when hearing his little sister's voice.

Only then did Karin see that Ichigo clearly didn't sense her presence, but what really vexed her were the brown eyes mirroring care, yet concern at the same time. Her brother wasn't easily scared, but something must have unnerved him at some point to make him react like a scared cat.

"I'm in my **home**. Where else should I have been, big brother" stated Karin, sarcasm dripping from her voice "Don't tell me you were about to throw a party with your Shinigami friends and I came uninvited, right? Have you told dad yet or maybe you're waiting for him to come home and scold you with his usual goofiness?"

Rukia came out of Ichigo's room when hearing Karin's voice and jumped in front of her, landing safely on her small feet. If it hadn't been for the slight unbalanced posture, Karin would have admired Rukia's almost perfect equilibrium, but since the girl buckled on her feet at the moment of the impact with the slippery floor, she judged her as a not so talented athlete.

"Karin-chan" she interjected in her Chappy like own way "Can I kidnap you for a second?"

"No" snapped the girl unpleasantly "I do not have masochistic desires, thank you very much"

Rukia stepped back like slapped as the venom of her friend's words hit her straight in the face. She knew Karin was full of irony, but this was like taking it to a whole new level.

"Karin" whispered the black haired Shinigami as she grabbed her arm "Let's just go upstairs for a little while, ok? Your brother has something to resolve down here and he mustn't be disturbed" she wavered when meeting Renji's eyes "It's about his extracurricular activities"

However Karin remained motionless, ignoring Rukia's request and resisting to her tries of sending her in the room she shared with Yuzu, but switched her attention on the back haired guy. Feeling the intense stare of the twin on him, which came accompanied by a spike of reiatsu, Byakuya's left eye parted slightly, letting a dark gaze stare into her eyes. Only after he realized she wasn't easily impressed by petty, deceiving glances, the man closed his eye and was left alone with his inner thoughts.

"Sorry Rukia" mumbled Karin, hitching from the woman's grip.

Being taken by surprise, Rukia released Karin without struggling more than necessary

"Karin, wait a second" interjected Rukia, trying to seized her arm again.

"What is going on Ichi-nii?" continued Karin, this time approaching the static figure of her brother.

"Nothing" responded the man, avoiding visual contact with the twin.

"Don't lie to me, Ichigo. What's happening with all this secrecy? I thought we were over all this crap with protecting me and Yuzu like we're some incapable little children." finished the girl, just as the front door opened behind her, giving a slight crack of oldness.

Though Karin failed to hear the creaky sound, the others didn't remain unconscious to the guests barely entering the house. Four figures stepped into the room, two males and two females, from who only one could be seen, since the second was hidden by the tall frames of the others. Judging their faces only the visible woman was happy to be there, but, with all the possible reticence mirrored on his face, one male spoke.

"Hello Kurosaki"

The girl's heart skipped a beat as her body twirled on the spot like a ballerina, very elegant yet fast and sharp.

"To … Toshiro?"

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Coincidently I have written the part with Toshiro's pov before saya's review & yes if I respect my schedule there will be more than 40 chapters. I just need the time to write them. Usually I would have written at least 2 chapters in this winter break, but unluckily for me using a different operating system took more than anticipated. Blame my teacher who wants us to compile under Linux.

As always you are right freestyler91. That's what I was aiming for, but there is something that will be added to your list *smirk* when I get to that part I'm sure you'll know what I mean.

For those who suggested that I shouldn't focus my attention on the couple that much, will have their desire fulfilled very soon. As for the cliffhanger, I am very sorry, but I prefer to break it in two and take my time with Karin meeting Toshiro again.

I was a little reticent at writing Hinamori, because I've never written her before, but I think it got out well. I hope she and Toshiro didn't get out too OOC. About the next update … I'll have my exam session in two weeks and I don't know if I have the necessary time to write another chapter before February the 13-th. If I do, promise I'll publish it.

Hope you had an interesting break and I wish you luck in the New Year. Let's just hope we won't die in 2012, ok?


	21. Bittersweet December

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter hadn't been beta-ed yet. I apologize for my usual mistakes (I'll reread it tomorrow *yawn*). I didn't have enough time to proofread it. I wish you pleasant reading.

Fluff&Aizen alert!

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 21: Bittersweet December**

Three days prior to the intimate moment shared by the two lovebirds in the park, into another dimension ruled by cruelty and hate, which had been named (ironically) by their archenemies, two hollows were carrying their tired feet through the deserted land of their home. The female looked like her ships had sunk into the ocean (not that water existed in Hueco Mundo), while the man was clearly very annoyed at something. The frown drawn over his incredibly blue, pointy eyebrows didn't leave space for discussion, but his expression clearly didn't scare his companion one bit.

They seemed to be ruled by a peculiar quietness and judging the tensed atmosphere they must have been in that gloomy mood for a while.

"Grimmjow?" asked a sweet voice, belonging to the beautiful blue haired woman.

Her eyes sparkled for a moment when meeting clear blue orbs.

"Yeah?"

"What do you plan from here on?"

Grimmjow grumbled something inaudible under his breath and only then did he bother to answer the question.

"I don't know yet, but I don't care" the woman threw in his direction what was supposed to be catalogued as a warning glare "Look, that butterfly freak Aizen will come here. We have to find him before that."

"I know that, but where will we find him. If I learned anything from you is that no matter the situation there is always a simple way out"

"What do you mean Nel?"

The blue-marine haired woman turned around, facing him completely, and continued to walk, but backwards.

"He must hide in plain sight. I have checked the reiatsu revolving around Karakura and, in the last year, some fluctuations have kept on coming from there, but we cannot be sure if it's Aizen or someone else's fault"

"Then what do you plan to do?" inquired Grimmjow from under his cape.

"Wait …"

"What?"

"Not even Aizen is powerful enough to begin a war immediately after escaping from prison. He's probably weakened and may remain like that for a long time King, but when he'll be ready … we will hear from him"

The man released a grunt of displeasure. Nobody liked to be reminded of the old, not so bright, times when his land had been ruled by a tyrant; the rule seemed to apply to Grimmjow as well.

After Aizen was defeated by Ichigo, Grimmjow had continued to train himself with the perseverance of a horse and the patience of turtle until he was capable of winning the trust and respect of the only alive ex-Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. Unlike his predecessor, who had been a cruel and vile leader, Grimmjow proved to be more merciful and efficient, but a ruler with a firm hand and a pretty short temper. The other Hollows accepted him easily as their leader, not because they didn't fear him, but because he was a hollow with unimaginable power.

Sometimes Grimmjow wondered if those brainless half-assed Hollows could be impressed by anything else than instinctual crap. Living with Nel for so long, taught him the true depths of intelligence and beauty, something he had never experienced in his days as an Espada, so his mind automatically began to develop from the human point of view.

The thin coat that covered his shoulders flicked in the wind breaking the eye contact between the two. The sand blinded Grimmjow momentarily, only to find Nel gone when he opened them again two seconds later.

Blinking twice and checking the position of her reiatsu, the man registered her bounds with great ease.

"Bloody woman. Sometimes I swear she acts like a defenseless child" he grumbled as he disappeared in a sonido.

A path of dust was left on the trail of the hollow's flash step as the usual static sound lingered in the air a second before dispersing into the reiatsu enriched air.

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The young Captain of Gotei 13 could only stare at the young woman who had just said his name, helplessness spreading through his entire body, starting from the heart and ending at the tip of his fingers. The first thought that conquered his mind, slowly beginning to dispel the aftershock, was the girl's somehow unnatural beauty. Then, it was followed by a gorgeous pair of mysterious dark-blue eyes and in the end the realization of recognizing her from his blurry memories.

Yet the girl standing before him was nothing like he had expected her to be: sad, angsty, upset, angry. But this Karin radiated happiness, not in the least the negative feelings he had thought of when sensing her energy. She seemed a little off if getting into consideration external factors (like stress and being in the presence of some pretty powerful pools of energy), but he could only read surprise on her beautiful features; surprise and a barely visible hint of disappointment. While others might have gotten over this tiny, unimportant detail, Toshiro could not shake the feeling of guilt away, since he knew, albeit instinctively, that Karin's distressed gaze was partially his fault.

Looking with more care at her appearance, he noticed she had indeed grown up a lot in the 5 years which had passed since their last encounter. Firstly there was the more girly appearance, probably accentuated by the ponytail gathered at the back of the head, and then there were the mature eyes staring him down with the inhuman power worthy of a queen, not a stereotypical teenager. All of these new attributes made her look somehow feral, untouchable, impenetrable and strong, yet not in the bad sense of the words. It was more like he just couldn't recognize her anymore. The fact that she wore a look he had never seen in her younger days made him see the bare truth of being away for so long: The little girl he had left behind was gone and in her place a new person raised … someone he wanted to meet so desperately that it hurt.

Any hopes he might have had about stealing away Karin for a private conversation were obliterated when she passed him without sparing even the cheapest hello, almost like he was replacing a wall or something, and hugged Matsumoto tightly around the waist. The woman responded eagerly to the hug, being in her nature not to refuse the affection of another, but was careful not to squash the girl between her huge _assets_.

Gin followed Karin subtly, arising the unwanted attention of the other woman standing beside him. She was the only one who noticed him checking out the girl from head to toe as she hugged Matsumoto. And Hinamori was also the only one who knew he had the face of a man who felt that something was amiss with the subject of his attention.

'_There is something strange about her_' thought the captain of the 3-rd squad '_cannot really put my finger on it, but she just has a strange aura swarming around her_'

Meanwhile Karin conversed with Matsumoto and the woman seemed happy to have an open-minded discussion partner. She continued to ignore Toshiro, who, in return, followed her example.

"Our entrance was quite epic, wasn't it!" smirked Gin.

"Creepy fellow" mumbled Karin and Matsumoto seemed to agree.

"Why are you here?" snapped Ichigo at the white haired boy, forgetting for one moment that Karin was still present in the room "Weren't you busy with paperwork …"

Venom dripped from the tip of his tongue, poisoning the little respect Toshiro had left for the Substitute Shinigami. After the Aizen incident all Soul Society, with some exceptions, regarded that single man as a human hero, but Toshiro couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness from arising; and seeing Ichigo throw with sarcasm at him, instead of pleasantries, made him realize he had been right in suspecting him of something. While Karin had a palpable reason for hating him, Ichigo didn't and that was enough to make him ask questions.

"Is there a problem, Kurosaki?" asked Toshiro, his voice enriched with anger.

"You bet there …" his speech was however interrupted brutally by a deep voice.

"We must go" stated seriously the Captain of the 6-th squad, swaying between the spectators elegantly like a swan floating on the water's clear mirror.

Karin could only wonder how he managed to look so masculine while performing a perfect ballet show. That guy was something else. The sensation of watching a spectacle from the first row was accentuated when Renji followed his Captain while stealing glances with Matsumoto. Maybe her mind was playing tricks but she could swear the silver haired Shinigami was playing a drama show with Matsumoto. The tension between the two was almost palpable.

Thinking about all the pressure she was feeling, every single person in the room was having some kind of conflict, sexual or of some other nature, with at least another person. She was having one right there with Toshiro, but the poor boy had been assaulted by Ichigo's not-so-kind glare even before becoming Karin's target.

The atmosphere was diffused by the sudden appearance of a big gate filled with an annoying bright light, which, as Karin will find out later, was called Senkaimon. The two Shinigami stepped through it and back into their improvised heaven.

"And so they go …" sang Ichimaru.

Matsumoto glared up at her partner, but he responded with a smile; though he did smile all the time, but it was hard to guess if he was truly smiling of just faking it for the audience.

The Kurosaki girl watched with mid interest the dynamics between the two Shinigami, concluding that they were probably having some unresolved issues of their own. Sexual tension all the way.

"We've came here to replace Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai" whispered Hinamori, barely audible though "I hope we didn't disturb you with our spontaneous visit"

Ichigo gritted his teeth, not even bothering himself enough to hide the very deep annoyance mirrored in his brownish eyes. Nobody really had to ask if he was disagreeing with The Captain Commander and Hinamori indirectly receive the response to her question. In that moment she wished she would have kept her mouth shut.

"Don't be an ass" sneered Karin at her annoying relative "I'm sorry" she continued to talk, switching her attention on Hinamori "My brother has no manners whatsoever. Excuse his rudeness and antisocialness, but he gates all shivery around other beings"

Ichigo reacted by trying to snap Karin's mouth shut with his right hand, but the girl avoided his hand with ease.

"I think he's kind of agoraphobic, but he can hide it in the presence of a smaller group, but since we are quite dense right now …" continued Karin to ramble only to be grabbed from behind by a very annoyed Kurosaki Ichigo, who didn't seem to enjoy the image Karin presented to his dear friends.

"Thank you little sister for being so generous and sharing this precious information with the unworthy … us. Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"My god, Ichigo. You've finally discovered the sarcastic gene in your blood. I'm so proud" cried Karin dramatically "It should be noticed in tomorrow's newspapers"

"Cut the drama" growled Ichigo.

However, the smile tugging at his lips told Karin he wasn't really upset, just amused at her bad habit of being a drag.

"We need to talk" interrupted Toshiro, already knowing he was in for a fight with Ichigo.

Karin glared at him for the second time, the first being when he had appeared on her doorstep, but her eyes didn't falter in showing animosity and anger. She was far from _loving_ him, so he didn't dare to repeat the plea a second time.

"No way in …" Ichigo exclaimed ready to interpose himself between the two.

"We do" stated Karin, rather calmly especially for a person who was about to go rampage any moment.

"Outside" suggested Toshiro.

He was getting nervous from the curious dark eyes of his sister.

"Let's do that" she said while sending threatening glares at her brother.

Karin wasn't willing to throw away an important relationship, like the one she had with Aizen, but at the same time she couldn't forget her last one with Toshiro. It was like her heart was playing ping pong between the two guys she had feelings for. His sudden appearance had complicated things and she couldn't understand why she faltered in deciding who to choose. Thinking about it, Karin realized it was nothing to decide upon. She wasn't romantically involved with Toshiro and she had never been, but she was romantically involved with Aizen. Clear as crystal.

'_I chose Samaki I am not some whore who cannot stop being in love with two. I've made my choice and even if I'll never forget Toshiro … Aizen is the one for me_'

"The two lovebirds need time" were the last words Karin heard before slamming the front door after her rushed steps.

"Shut up" snapped Ichigo "Let's talk about Aizen"

Gin smiled, but inside, his heart bled. He didn't have a good relationship with Hinamori for obvious reasons. With Matsumoto it was even worse and Hitsugaya's face suggested violence every time he met him. Still the boy's neurotic attitude melted in a puddle when seeing Ichigo's sister. Someone who could manipulate the Captain of the 10 Squad was a rarity, so Gin decided to keep her under radar for at least one month. Also the girl had a strange energy, another reason why she was catalogued as a target for Aizen.

Not wanting to upset Ichigo more than he already was (by Toshiro's interest in Karin) Gin kept his suspicions away. It would have been too much of a coincidence if Karin was on Aizen's list.

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"Let's talk" commanded Karin.

One moment of painful silence passed between the two. While Toshiro struggled with his mind, even if a poker face of calmness rested on his features, Karin avoided any eye contact with her friend, finding her neighbor's garden far more interesting.

"How have you been?" tried the boy to initiate her in a simple subject.

"Fine" answered the girl rapidly, almost like she wanted to get out of there very fast.

"Do you still play soccer?"

"Yes" answered Karin dryly.

"Do you plan to answer like that every time I ask a question?" asked the boy, this time his voice being filled with impatience.

"Yes"

His left eyebrow twitched nervously and his lips gathered in a very cute pout. Karin restrained herself from laughing at the subtle gesture which had become a habit at her other good friend. There were so many things at Toshiro that resembled Aizen especially when they were annoyed at someone, explicitly her.

Still, Toshiro noticed the smile playing subtly on her rosy lips, and realized it was a good sign. Taking the opportunity in his hands he stated "You've changed so much"

"Don't forget that 5 years have passed since you left, but I guess that in a Shinigami's life, 5 years do not count as so much as they do for a human" replied Karin, losing the smile "You have barely changed Toshiro. Not physically at least"

The boy reddened as his cheeks got on fire.

"I see you still have that annoying midget complex with you"

"I'm not …"

"Yeah, yeah I know. You are not a midget" laughed Karin at the captain, nudging him in the ribs in one of her rare displays of affection.

She was still very upset about his leave and about being literally abandoned by someone she adored above common sense, but just seeing him there with her as he acted all mighty was enough to erase part of her pain. Her heart arched to grab his jacket and squeeze the life out of him while crying her hidden anger of 5 long lonely years, yet she didn't. Instead she remained in place offering Toshiro only a sly smile of content. It was a big mistake to refuse his presence and ask for an explanation. That's why she forgave him with much more ease than anticipated. Aizen was another reason why Karin didn't like the idea of getting close to Toshiro again.

Old feelings threatened to resurface when being in the presence of her first crush. Old habits and some things Karin just didn't want to relive; like the horror of being thrown in a corner and forgotten for half a decade or maybe the wound inflicted, unintentionally, in her already broken heart. So many reasons why she shouldn't have been in his presence, but his aura proved to be too tempting.

"I'm still taller than you" commented the boy.

Karin eyed him, trying to decrypt the tornado of ideas crossing her mind. It was kind of hard to pay attention to the source of her distress and think of solutions at the same time. That's why she abandoned logic and threw herself in the present conversation.

"That's because I didn't grow up in height that much." she smiled brightly.

Toshiro ruffled his hair, giving Karin a view of his usual cuteness.

"I'm still better than you at soccer" continued the girl to attack him. It gave her the impression of a friendly talk, and it also stopped her from over-thinking the situation.

"Yeah"

He smirked, but was welcomed by a slap over the back of the head.

"What was that Mr. I-am-too-tall-for-you?"

To her definite surprise, Toshiro didn't argue or comment her ironic statement, but gave her one of his well-known glares of discontent.

"Don't forget that I want a match Toshiro … very soon"

"We could play now"

"No. I have a little business with someone"

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Aizen watched as Karin erupted in a fit of swears.

She resembled her brother when it came to temper, but in the way she acted, the softness of her reiatsu and especially the maturity reflected in her eyes, she was nothing like her older sibling. Seeing her pout angrily at the table gave him a slight sensation of watching a bad comedy from the late 60s. Not that he had time to watch television in that period. Planning to destroy the world was funnier.

"What pissed you off, Karin?" asked Aizen curious to know what bugged her so much "Or who pissed you off?"

"Doesn't matter" Karin answered while her pout deepened.

For someone who had the decency of being a fairly normal teenager she was just a walking disaster at lying. At least Aizen had enough in that field … for both of them.

"Don't look at me like I'm some crazy woman you've just met on the street"

"You didn't answer my question" stated Aizen, playing with the cup of tea deposited between his hands.

Being the half of December was really tough for the ex Shinigami, because winter, snow and temperatures bellow zero were abnormalities in Soul Society in any period of the year. Nobody, apart from Rukia and Toshiro had any idea of how terrible human winters could be, especially in a dysfunctional gigai.

"My brother" came the answer, but Aizen continued to look at her expectedly "And someone else, you don't need to know about"

This made him even more curious about the source of her distress.

Blue eyes narrowed when the man finally decide to ask "Lover?"

"Fucker"

"Me or him?"

"Both"

Aizen left his place beside her and shifted closer to the end of the table.

Karin mixed absently the sugar in the cup of coffee deposited before her. Her eyes stared at a painting, but her focus was present on the inside. Her partner let her reflect on the stringent problem while delighting himself with a delicious cup of tea.

"To break is all you know" unexpectedly said Karin, breaking the comfortable silence. Maybe she just felt like sharing her unresolved issues with him, or maybe time taught her to trust him, not completely, but enough to feel at peace "but I'm unbreakable"

"Do you really want to try? Do you really want to put yourself in the imminent path of danger?" he asked sipping from his tea.

"I have nothing to lose … not my sanity, since I am crazy enough to do something without fearing the repercussions, not my life because you may be a little off, but definitely not a serial killer" Aizen's lips tugged upwards in an amused smile "and not my family because they will be there for me no matter what"

Brown eyes gazed back at her with an intensity never felt, but it was a warm, pleasant feeling tingling in her frozen limbs and up towards her rabid beating heart. She smiled a little remembering of how Toshiro used to wake up the same tender emotions in her a long time ago.

"It's your choice" said Aizen, smugly expression and all included "but I want something in return"

"I hope it's not sex, because I'll say no from the start" snapped Karin, being however taken by surprise when the answer came.

"Relax … it's nothing of that sort" Karin waited patiently for him to state his plea "I want to keep _it_ secret from the others"

"I thought this came along with _this._ It's implicit, right?" sighed Karin, being somehow happy that it was nothing impossible to accomplish "Why do you smile?"

"Because" and he bent over the table capturing her lips sensually and then continued to sip his all-so-amazing tea.

He always seemed to find the perfect opportunity to embarrass her.

"You and your damn tea … and those English gentlemen" he smiled "I want a cup!" she screamed at a waitress scaring the shit out of her.

"Are you sure? Be careful, because it might poison you if you try too hard to ingest it"

"Very funny Samaki"

The man seemed unfazed by Karin's usual bluntness, although regarding the touchy subject of tea he had always had a slightly violent reaction. This got even worse in his good days in Hueco Mundo, but no matter how many times Karin damned, cursed and swore his tea, he just couldn't get mad; mainly because he found her amusing when being red like an apple. However Aizen's non-violent (for the first time) thoughts were broken by the cold touch of a foreign hand traveling over the wrinkles of his palm, reaching the wrist and resting there for a moment.

Karin avoided his gaze, preferring to stare in her cup of coffee. Embarrassment and a hint of shame could be decrypted from her evasive attitude, so Aizen was fairly pleased when his fingers wrapped themselves around her fragile hand. She was cold and her body shivered slightly from the sudden contact of his heated skin. His other hand joined the first under the table trying to heat up her frozen fingers. Bad circulation was to blame.

'_I'll stay with you no matter what. I do not get back on my word_' she squeezed his hand.

'_Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding._' Aizen thought while kissing the back of her hand sweetly. He might be a feared villain, but he was a villain with impeccable manners.

"Do you admire me?" he asked while playing with their tangled peripheries.

Karin barely had time to stop a bark of laughter from erupting.

"No you idiot. Why would I admire someone like you?"

"Good"

"Ai-"

She wasn't given the chance to finish the sentence, because her lips were sealed by two stronger ones.

'_Never admire me_' thought the villain '_you can fear me, you can hate me, you can love me, but do not dare to admire me_' the sweetness of her being slipped between his parted lips '_Make things interesting, make me appreciate these months in the Human World, because I want to remember you as my lover, not as my loyal dog_'

Every kiss brought them closer and closer, not just in terms of physical closeness, but as an entity as a couple, as the most unlikely paring in history. Both forgot time and space when being together, like they could live in another separate world, not affected by the triviality of a mortal life. Both loved to break away from their mortal strings, from what they called _human weaknesses_. And as time passed Aizen seemed to observe he shared many traits with Ichigo's sister, while some parts of her personality remained hidden to his eyes.

Karin was the one to break the contact, taking with her a piece of Aizen's soul. She didn't stop from looking at him with the sharp, merciless eyes of a feline caught in a hunter's trap, nor did she loosen the hold on his hand. The soft feeling of being protected spread inside her, sewing the last of her worries together in a bundle and throwing them out through the window. But neither this could make her forget the shame of being caught on the wrong foot for the second time that evening.

"Could you stop from … " Aizen raised an eyebrow "being an intrusive tea-sucking asshole?"

Aizen didn't answer, just stared at her cryptically. His eyes mirrored something she had never dreamt of seeing in those beautiful soft brown orbs. It was strong, intense, reverberating through her soul. Loneliness. Silence. Pain. Solitude. How could a man as charismatic as him feel lonely?

Seeing him in that defenseless position worried her more than his criminal tendencies or complex mind could ever do, because Aizen had never struck her as a man without a backup plan. He wasn't the type to uncover his heart before strangers. He was strong, powerful, never to be taken by surprise. Yet he had let her see a part of him; a part he clearly wasn't proud of. Maybe it hadn't been intentional, at last Karin doubted, but it was a sign of trust on his part.

"You stupid fool" whispered Karin against his lips, being aware of the pleonastic construction, but not really giving a shit for semantics. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders '_Lonely fool_' were her last thoughts before strutting her head on his shoulder and closing heavy eyelids over dark blue eyes.

'_You're making me love you_'

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**-The end of the first arc-**

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I'm not very happy of how I built this chapter. It was rushed and I didn't have enough time to add proper details … I'll work harder on the next one (pinky promise)

I repeat it's not the end of the story just the closure of a bigger chapter.

**Note**: The part where Aizen thinks about admiration is … cryptic. You will probably understand what I mean later … for now I can say this: Aizen doesn't plan to stay in the human world (aka with Karin) forever.

Please do not kill me. I shouldn't be blamed for my twisted mind. I know many of you want some hitsukarin action, but if I make them too personal (you know what I mean) I risk portraying Karin as a player. Do not forget that she had accepted a relationship with Aizen before Toshiro's return; in this chapter she has just suggested some guidelines. There is still time for them, do not despair.

The only ones who knew about Toshiro were Renji, Byakuya, Ikkaku and Yumichika and that is because they are the closest to Ichigo. If you remember Gin and Retsu had no idea why The Captain Commander didn't want to send Toshiro in the Human World. Thanks for the update in the "rin" kanji. I really needed that information. Search engines do not seem to help you when you want to find a proper translation, so thanks again.

Thank you for waiting after the lazy me who couldn't write anything, but I've passed all my exams and I got good grades too. That means I can keep my scholarship for another semester. And it's cold *sneeze* seriously. Europe is an iceberg! And Danube froze up (great weather)

GRIMMJOW IS ALIVE!(Kubo confirmed it!) *Codry runs away to throw a party*


	22. 4 months later

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter hadn't been beta-ed yet. I apologize for my usual mistakes. I didn't have enough time to proofread it. I wish you pleasant reading.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 22: 4 months later**

"_My name is Kurosaki Karin. I am a student in the second year of high school. I am a well-known tomboy and I kick ass whenever someone pisses me off. Some say I'm just a simple-minded fool, but I've stopped listening to other's bullshits a long time ago._

_If I am in the mood I kill Hollows in order to help the spirits form being eaten or humans from being murdered. And no I am not a defender of the helpless, just someone who doesn't like to witness a genocide._

_I spend my time with Urahara at his shop as he tries to teach me how to control my erratic spiritual energy, but in these 4 mouths he didn't get any results. What can I say … I am still a newbie at this reiatsu thingy. _

_However my supplementary training with Samaki begins to have visible repercussions. I am more aware of my surroundings and much more careful with my body's movements. He is indeed a pretty good teacher, but I don't want to tell him that. He's already conceited enough._

_Believe it or not, I have managed to survive with him for 4 long mouths. These damn miracles really do happen from time to time. Not often though, or my father would not act like a retard all the time! I … we will soon have 5 months since being together. Can you believe it? And here I thought I would never find someone crazy enough o stay with me for a week, let's not talk about so much time. Guess I was wrong. Sometimes it can be so good to be wrong._

_Christmas was a little awkward for us, because Aizen is not a Christian and he doesn't believe in our God. Sometimes I swear the only god he sees in his small world is himself. _

_Valentines Day was a disaster with big D. I just don't want to remember of how Aizen tried to give me chocolates and we had ended up in a hospital bed for 5 days because of food poisoning. His excuse was "I did not know chocolate is not supposed to be mixed with … clorhydric acid" No shit Sherlock. Now that I think, it wasn't really acid, just a dangerous mixture of ingredients, something only Orihime could dream of combining. It doesn't really matter because it sure kept us in the hospital long enough, but I didn't miss the New Year Party dad threw with the Shinigami. _

_Yuzu had an interesting discussion with that Yumichika gay bastard, at least until I grabbed his collar and took him away from my beautiful sister before he could ask for her hand._

_The attraction of the evening was Matsumoto … dancing topless on the table. Don't ask, ok. Just pretend you haven't read that and get on with the lecture._

_How I've wished Samaki would have used a stronger acid … not that he had used acid, but you get the idea._

_None of my relatives know of my boyfriend (I just cannot use this word) and I plan to keep it that way for at least another 4 months. There is still a part of me who wants to come clean before them, but my intuition tells me they might not like him, or at least have some kind of disagreement with him._

_I think the worst would be dad, not because he might begin to talk about grandchildren, because I'm sure he will, but because unlike Yuzu and Ichigo, he can really see a person's inner workings. He may be the only one capable to distinguish Samaki's true nature. I mean … I'm realistic: Samaki is a sociopath, but I like him like this._

_However Yuzu remains the biggest problem. She complained to me, two days ago I think, about Aizen being kind of cold towards her. What was I supposed to say? _

_Don't worry Yuzu he just spends time with me, training and sometimes molesting me. Nothing too serious. We make out in the grass, against a tree (I still have marks on my back from our last session), read porn (this part is a lie), but yeah nothing to be taken seriously. So smile Yuzu, the world is perfect._

_For some reason Aizen gets very mad when I use the word __**molest**__. I wonder why? In these last months he didn't say anything about creating environmental possibilities in order to take the next step in our relationship (thank god he didn't) even if I did notice he would have wanted to take the initiative a couple of times._

_I cannot wait for Samaki to finish with the exams so we can go in the annual trip over the seas. From what I've hear it will be somewhere in Europe, but the council hasn't decided the location yet. Maybe we will go to Spain. I've heard they have an amazing soccer team._

_The silver haired Shinigami, who happens to be the Captain of the 3-rd squad, kept on following me the first week. First I thought he was just in love with me and couldn't get enough of my lean muscles, but after two days abundant in silver hair, my first presumption metamorphosed into stalking. Yes he was a stalker. Nothing more nothing less._

_I've had my match with Toshiro … don't ask me, because I didn't win … subject closed. I'm not writing about this … no way in hell. (Who would ever write in her diary how she lost to a midget). I'm angry, so I'll make him a midget. Period._"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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Winter had passed rather quickly leaving an empty space in the children's fragile hearts, who desired to see more snow. But soon enough, the next season knocked on the door and, after waiting a little for the temperature to gain some degrees over zero, it began to shake its wings over the frozen nature. Spring bloomed over the world so brutally and suddenly, stretching its arms around the globe, that some nations barely had time to change their wardrobe on such short notice. Japan didn't make an exception, having one of the fastest season-transitions in history.

While some people enjoyed the metaphoric announcement of a bright, new beginning, with sun and lots of flowers, others cursed spring.

However Karin didn't belong to the last group, being, maybe, one of the biggest fans spring ever had. After all Karin loved it with passion, not because it gave life and recreated the green cover, but because during spring the weather was perfect for soccer matches. Not too cold and not unbearably hot, like in the middle of the summer. It was probably the most selfish reason one can have for loving spring, but Karin was neither the poetic type, like Yuzu, nor the dead-after-flowers type, again like her sister. She was practical, logic and very stuck in reality.

Still it would have been hypocritical on her part to say she didn't enjoy being given flowers, especially if they were from Aizen. Thinking about gifts made Karin realize she didn't mind any kind of attention coming from her very annoying friend, no matter if it was doomed to send her in a hospital.

"Ugh" growled Karin "This is excruciatingly boring."

Aizen flipped a page from the book he had deposited in his lap prior to the training session. This strategy of annoying Karin by ignored her pleas was getting unexpected results. But then … it always did.

"Why do I stay with you, god of complexity? Tell me, because I really cannot find a reasonable explanation and believe me I had tried … countless times and I've still failed to find one, single, simple reason" whined Karin loudly.

"That is your problem, not mine" stated Aizen calmly.

Karin sighed and laid her head on his shoulder.

One hour passes without words being shared, while Aizen continued with his lecture and Karin read from the comfortable position of leaning on her friend's shoulder. The silence enveloped the couple.

"My sister had asked about you again" whispered the girl, too soft for someone who snapper at persons instead of talking to them "and I'm out of lies to tell Samaki. I do not like to lie to Yuzu, but at the same time …" Aizen looked at her at the corner of his eye studying the cute Kurosaki frown tugging her eyebrows in a straight line "She deserves someone better"

"Have you just said that I am not good enough for your sister?"

"Yes"

Even after so much time Aizen had problems getting used to her direct way of putting things on the table, both literal and metaphorical.

"Does that mean I am not good enough for you, Karin?" replied the man, being careful to emphasize the "you", at least enough for the girl to catch his moody disposal.

"Not necessarily. Look Samaki, I am not like Yuzu. She is beautiful, gorgeous, an awesome cook, the best mother a child could dream of having. In other words she is the embodiment of perfection. But she's also fragile, innocent, naïve and you, on the other hand, are a snake."

"That hurt"

"I hope it did. You and that man, Ichimaru" Aizen's eyebrow twitched and his lips gathered in a straight line before retaking their usual position in a wide smirk of superiority.

"So … I am a snake. Let's just start from this presumption, false, but still valid in certain situations. If I am a serpent, what does that make you?"

Karin seemed to falter in giving away her opinion and somehow Aizen could understand her reticence of sharing precious information. After all Karin was a smart girl, who knew more about Aizen than no other human being or Shinigami could ever dream of being able to. Maybe Ichimaru had a better understanding of his character, but it was expected from some who had spent 100 long years with him. Karin had known him for approximately 6 months and been in a relationship with him for 4, so being somehow ignorant to his motives wasn't a crime, just a slip on her part.

Scanning the contradictory emotions crossing her face at an abnormal speed, Aizen was more than happy to notice confusion and fear mirrored in her dark blue eyes.

Then he gave her a short peck on the lips, probably trying to confuse her even more. The real make out sessions were usually kept for the trainings, because during those particular moments they were heated up and in the mood to lose time.

"See you at practice Karin" he whispered against the shell of her ear.

Then he danced out of her vision, letting her reflect on different matters involving him and his characteristic behavior.

"It makes me your prey" mumbled Karin, not realizing how right she was "it makes me something I do not wish to be"

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Toshiro was napping on the couch when the front door was brutally slammed and heavy steps echoed in the room. He grabbed a pillow and stuffed it over his head, but an annoying voice didn't fail to wake him up again. Again being the key word.

"Captain" sang Matsumoto

"Go away" his voice resonated from under the pillow.

"But Captain" she pouted "You're being so mean with the poor me. I haven't done anything wrong these last few days. You have no reason to be upset at me, at least to my knowledge."

Toshiro gritted his teeth and to add to this picture of pure stress, his eyebrow twitched in an involuntary nervous act of annoyance. As a result the pillow deposited over his head flew by Matsumoto's ear and she was offered the unforgettable, yet somehow common, sight of her captain's overly angered out of boundaries face. And, if the face wasn't enough, the harsh tone he had decided to use in that particular day didn't leave place for discussion.

"That's because you didn't do anything. How could I be upset over some thing that you did, if you don't even bother to come to the meetings and let's not forget the search parties? Enlighten me Matsumoto, because I cannot understand."

"It was this dress …" complained the woman in her usual evasive style.

"Spare me Matsumoto. I want the real reason, not some half assed excuse."

With the face of a still undecided woman, Matsumoto dared to state her mind.

"Captain… do you really think Aizen is here? In Karakura?"

And she didn't regret it, especially when Toshiro sighed, but seemed to share her concerns.

"I don't know, but if he is … then where is he hiding? That is the real question"

"He can't be here" she emphasized "if he was here … Ichimaru would know his hiding place."

"How can you be so sure? I thought you didn't like, trust Ichimaru" mumbled Toshiro, not wanting to sound disrespectful to a fellow captain, especially after spending 4 long months sharing a hotel bed with him, but he was indeed very reticent at trusting him.

"I don't trust him in the least, but if he cannot find Aizen ... Nobody can."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow at Matsumoto, being slightly amused by her unintended mistake. She hadn't declined liking Ichimaru, just trusting him. Sometimes the boy wondered how she managed to love a man who had hurt her as much as Ichimaru did. He knew love was not conditioned by trivial things like appearance, but to go to such lengths for a pig like Ichimaru, made Toshiro feel sick in the stomach.

The only one who could be described as worse than that snake was Aizen and Toshiro knew Ichimaru wouldn't be happy hearing this unfair comparison. There were times when Toshiro couldn't see Aizen caring about anyone, even if he had blindly believed the traitor had cared enough for Hinamori, at least enough to leave her alive.

But with all her subjectivity, Matsumoto still made a valid point in the fast question exchange. If Ichimaru, who knew Aizen like the back of his hand, couldn't find the ex-Shinigami Captain, then neither Toshiro, nor Matsumoto could ever dream of guessing his location.

"Captain? Are you ok?" asked the woman when silence engulfed the youngster.

"I'm fine. I'll talk to Ichimaru tonight and decide if we should continue the search or postpone it after receiving new information from Soul Society."

"Mayuri should have found something new till now" she cried, having one of her usual drama queen episodes.

"He didn't, or we would have been noticed" confessed Toshiro "but it won't hurt to ask"

Matsumoto smiled a little at the chibi captain, studying his relaxed pose. Ironically, coming in the human world had a benefic effect on him. Usually one would think that .working was stressful, but paperwork was even worse. Matsumoto believed Toshiro was calmer in his usually volcanic reactions also because Karin was around him at least two hours per day, not only due to a cut in the paperwork duty.

"What's with that face?" grumbled Toshiro "you know what ... I don't want to ask, because whatever you are thinking is probably falling in the censored area."

"Captain you're being unfair" smiled Matsumoto, wiggling her hips in a funny way.

The gesture held a note of amusement and not sensual as it was expected from the busty lieutenant.

"I'm a realist" snapped Toshiro "And don't make me unfair after working on your damn paperwork for a whole decade."

"But you are!"

"Go and find Hinamori and I'll go talk with Ichimaru" replied the captain almost like he didn't hear his lieutenant's usual derpy whining.

"but captain, I saw this very beautiful pair of earrings made from gold and they were ..."

"I don't care" growled Toshiro, trying to prevent an ice cataclysm from erupting due to touching human bounds of annoyance "Go and bring Hinamori … now"

The Captain's strong voice thundered in the room, literally striking Matsumoto with its lack of softness. Even in his worst days, Toshiro had never dared, or just didn't feel the need to attack her with an emotionless tone. Usually a threatening glare and a not so subtle notice regarding her sake stack was enough to get her on the right track. This made the woman see that her leader was indeed approaching a mental breakdown and judging the way Ichimaru acted around them made Matsumoto even more pessimistic about their chances of ever finding Aizen.

'_And when we will, it will probably be too late._'

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Meanwhile in Karakura High School the soccer team was having the weekly two hour practice.

"Samaki! Catch the ball" screamed Karin from the other side of the soccer field. She began to wave her hands frantically over the head when her voice didn't reach Aizen. It was probably her way of attracting his attention "Then pass it to … for god's sake I have told you to grab the ball! Is it really that hard?" yelled Karin, this time her voice betraying a high level of annoyance.

Aizen rolled his eyes, a gesture he kept away only for Karin to see, and ran after the ball, colliding with another teammate by mistake. Karin began to laugh, but was soon silenced by a ball approaching her position. She ducked under the object, letting it pass over her head and into Tony's inattentive face.

"Asshole!" she shouted "You are the biggest ASS ever!"

"The language Kurosaki" threatened the team's coach, who was –ironically- reading an improper magazine right in front of them.

Karin fumed some more, but vented her anger on the whole team, which had to suffer the girl's aggravating state, plus one of the most strenuous practices they had ever experienced since being part of the soccer team. She was merciless and some began to compare her to devil's reincarnation, not knowing that the title already belonged to someone else.

After two hours of practice which consisted more in a war between the two key members of the team, Karin and Samaki, than a friendly practice between teammates (not forgetting about killing the team of course), the boys and the girl retired in their reserved lockers: the boys in the boy section and Karin in the other one.

Aizen was changing his clothes with some dry ones, when Tony decided to approach him in a discrete way. Something he had never done before.

"You always fight so much with Captain-sama" cried Tony "And then she vents her frustrations on us, all because you manage to anger her to such extents. If it wasn't in my detriment I would applaud your guts, but it is, so …"

Aizen put on his innocent face and said "I do not mean to get her angry. The one who would ever want to see her mad would probably be a delusional masochist" smiled Aizen, thinking that maybe he had a couple of masochist tendencies if he was willing to make Karin mad just because she was sexier that way "She's just too temperamental and I cannot help to disagree with her in certain matters."

He continued to explain his somehow twisted, but right, kind of logic.

"Look man" Tony patted his shoulder affectionately, like he was about to give a lecture to a naïve little child who didn't know where babies come from "She's a woman and woman have this bad habit of being bitches, so from time to time, you should just let her force her own decisions even if the solution makes no sense."

"I see" stated Aizen dryly.

Talking with his teammates depressed him like nothing else could manage to, because it destroyed, little by little, the little respect he had left for human beings. The only humans capable of arising his interest were the Kurosakis, leaving aside Yuzu, who, apart from her abnormal kindness, had nothing too special about her. Or at least that was his low opinion of her. Plus he found struggling prey like Karin and Ichigo to be the ones who had the most potential in interesting him.

'_Like I'll ever agree with that Kurosaki. Like I'll ever agree with any Kurosaki for that matter._'

Tony smirked and left.

After another short, yet useless, exchange between teammates, which consisted more in sharing pleasantries and/or gossips than talking about future soccer strategies, the group scattered slowly, some of them going home and the others dashing at their optional classes. Aizen was the last boy to leave the room, being followed by Karin, who came from the opposite room, which was kept especially for girls. Since she was the only girl in the team, she had the utmost privacy.

"Karin?" asked Aizen, trying to attract her attention.

She urged him to shut up and continued to type on her mobile phone.

"Can you leave the phone for a second and talk with me?" said Aizen calmly.

When Karin didn't seem to respond to his question, he decided to ask again, thinking she didn't hear it because of a loud noise coming from the other side of the crowded street.

"I'm talking with you right now. There is no need for your first wish" replied Karin, making Aizen understand she hadn't been able to hear him, not because of some loud cheer, but because she was too engrossed in the action of typing the hell out of her phone.

"I find it rather disturbing to talk with you while you do not even try to pay attention" complained the man.

"Someone is jealous …"

Aizen rolled his eyes, but didn't contradict her words, already knowing that talking her through would be in vain. She was a stubborn Kurosaki after all.

"Don't make that face. It's unbeautiful" babbled Karin with her attention totally lost in texting "I can't believe I've used this word?" snapped Karin at herself, this being her way of punishing her mouth for talking before thinking "I swear Yumicika is as contagious as plague"

Azien would have chucked at her amusing Yumichika like comment, but not being the type to express his real feelings so openly, he gave Karin a sarcastic smirk and puffed a little. She didn't look annoyed, probably because of a long time of being accustomed to his way of behaving. She was also aware that in private he was one of the most cuddling, sweet people she had ever had the honor to meet.

"I just need to tell Urahara that I'll be late for his tea party" continued Karin to give details about her texting partner.

Aizen's heart skipped a beat when hearing the scientist's name. '_What does Urahara need with her. Maybe I'm just being paranoid_' he was reticent in confessing his worries about whatever Urahara had planned for his partner. Of course it didn't take him long to understand that tea party was an alias for something Karin didn't want to share with him, but what bothered him wasn't Karin hiding nothings from him, but spending time with Urahara Kitsuke. It was also quite possible for the scientist to have dark plans for the Kurosaki girl, especially if he had seen the huge potential hidden under a thick layer of uncontrollable reiatsu. Not that he was worried for Karin. She was strong enough to keep up with the man and having Ichigo as a brother and Isshin as a father came as an advantage.

Still why had Karin had to spend time with his worst enemies? Starting with Urahara and Toshiro and ending with his arch enemy Kurosaki Ichigo.

"By the way … did you hear where our annual trip will be?" asked Karin while stuffing the mobile in the breast pocket of her coat.

Following a totally different trail of thoughts Aizen answered, without paying attention to the words Karin did so kindly share with him.

"No"

His reticence astonished her and for one moment she had the strange feeling that Aizen was sulking. But Aizen didn't do childish things like sulking thought Karin and continued with her statement, without realizing the truth lurking behind them.

"We are visiting the city of love" mumbled Karin, being her turn to give a sweet pout of disappointment.

"City of love …" remarked Aizen, raising an eyebrow at the angsty expression plastered on her face.

"Yes … Paris"

Karin's mood began to drop and along with it, Aizen's curiosity began to rise proportionally.

"Why do you look like a brick hit you in the head? From what I've heard Paris is supposed to be this very amazing place …"

While throwing an aggravating glare at a pedestrian who was happening to eye a woman's behind, Karin mumbled under her breath a short "Spain" and gained speed so Aizen wouldn't be able to keep up with her. Unluckily for her, the man was very able in getting information out of her, even if the said information was not sharable.

"I didn't catch that"

"Because I wanna go to Spain!" screamed Karin, being force to censure her tone level when an old man commented on _teenagers nowadays_ "They have this also very amazing and awesome football team. I thought the council will choose a different place … What's with that face?"

"Nothing"

"Tell me."

Aizen knew Karin won't leave him alone until he decided to answer. Usually he would just ignore her and play the unapproachable type, but this ended with them running in circles and Aizen didn't feel like wasting precious time.

He grabbed her elbow, gently, and wrapped his other hand around her neck.

"I'm going to the city of love with my lover. What is it more to wish?"

If this statement didn't take Karin by surprise, nothing did. Sure she was used to his somehow exaggerated romanticism, but this sweet, diabetes-inducing declaration of love or something resembling it, made Karin see their relationship from a different perspective. It took all her self control not to blush like a schoolgirl who had just been complimented by her sweetheart. After she was one hundred percent sure her voice would not tremble, the girl regained her composure and attacked Aizen with her all-lasting sarcasm.

"4 months" she said with a fake melancholy, which concealed an ironic idea "We've been together for 4 months and I still cannot believe you're this hopeless romantic who runs after ghosts."

"Am I?" countered Aizen, his soft breath blowing short puffs of hot air into her ear.

"I think so, but then again: One cannot always be sure of what the other believes in."

Aizen grinned.

"Still as cautious as always."

"Damn right!"

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I'm sorry for not updating earlier, but you know school … a tone of projects, lack of ideas and so on. I think this chapter was the hardest to write, probably because it was the first from a new arc and I had no idea what I was supposed to write as an introduction. Hope it will come easier in time.

So again sorry for the late update, but school… and I've begun tutoring some kids and you could say it's a mini-job. Plus the masochist in me had to take some optional classes. Right now I leave at 8 AM and come back a 8 PM (including Saturday) and my only free time is Sunday (when I have to do my homework) I have a huge stack of messages I have yet to respond and an even bigger stack of unread stories.

Why I chose France? It's pretty complicated. First of all I wanted to be Europe (egocentric reasons) I intended to pick Spain, because it has an amazing soccer team and all that (the perfect place for our soccer addicted Kurosaki Karin), but realized I don't know Spanish XD Also it complemented my future plot perfectly. When the time comes, you'll understand what I mean. Probably in the next chapter … our heroes begin preparations for la ville d'amour. And a birthday gift for Karin.


	23. Unexpected birthday gift

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

Enjoy the read, along with my mistakes.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 23: Unexpected birthday gift**

Two brown deep orbs scanned the round object which shined in the dark room with an unnatural reverberation. The tall man played with the ring, feeling the smooth edge as it caressed the palm of his hand. Then he moved it on his other hand.

"Where should I hide you, little treasure?" he whispered.

The ring seemed to have an answer of it's own as it rolled over the deepest wrinkle engraved in his palm and stopped inside the cavity created by his fingers. The stay didn't last long as Aizen titled his palm at a different angle, forcing the object into tipping over the edge and into the dark abyss. Then he watched as the ring collided with the table, creating the soft noise of a bell's ringing. Nobody could ever guess what was hiding inside that little thing resting silently on the lean surface of an antique table. Maybe it was a magical ring which could turn stone into gold, but then again Aizen wouldn't have kept in a million years such useless piece of junk near him. What he had there was far more precious.

"What should I do …" he repeated, playing with a rebel stand of hair hanging loosely from his, for the first time, ruffled, brownish locks.

On the inside part of the ring, the name _Aizen_ was engraved in the golden layer.

He smiled a little when the name erased itself from the golden surface being replaced by four big letters, completing the puzzle he had intended to end a long time ago. After a thorough inspection directed at the ring, Aizen stuffed it deep into his jacket's pocket.

It was Karin's 17-th birthday so it would have been rude on his part not to give her a proper gift. And he had just the perfect present for such an event.

For the first time in his long life, Aizen was nervous, because his next scheme was probably a dangerous and bilateral one, but he did like to live on the edge, so it didn't bother him as much it should have. The beginning of a smirk flowered at the corner of his lips. He was really curious to see Karin's reaction at his next dramatic act.

'_Let the charade begin…Plus this will dazzle poor Gin and the other Shinigami even more._'

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Karin felt the hot blood of her being shaking her whole body into a translucent state of anger. She wavered when remembering Urahara's harsh words regarding her reiatsu controlling skills, or more like, lack of these skills.

He had been a royal asshole as he explained with his usual nonchalant attitude towards life about her weaknesses in taming her absolutely and unearthly quantity of reiatsu and if she wanted to be safe from different creatures like Hollows, Espada and so on, she needed to put more "energy" and "power" into it. He just had to portrait it as dark as possible to scare even the birds flying above their heads. Judging that birds really couldn't understand shit from their conversation told a lot about how Urahara's attitude spread over the mute part of nature.

Of course Jinta had grinned like an idiot at her inability to form a proper comeback at his owner's comments and in the end she gave up and left the shop without looking back even once. It wasn't like she was doing it for pleasure of anything, because being stuck in a room with an old man, an even older man, an emotionless girl, Ururu, and an annoying brat aka Jinta was far from her top 10 favorite activities, but because she didn't want to get killed, or worse get her sister killed because she couldn't control herself before an enemy. She also didn't have any desire to hurt Samaki, who was a simple human who had the misfortune of being her … lover.

She sighed when the pleasant memories of the winter they had spent together invaded her mind. Some parts were far from excellent, like being stuck in the bathroom for an hour, just because a stupid man decided blocking the bathroom's door was a proper punishment for two lazy teenagers, but usually adored with some catchy facts, like making out all over the place.

There were times when Karin felt like their relationship was getting too conventional, but then Aizen would come and throw these stupid theories out the window with his simple, unothdox attitude. That's why sometimes Karin felt like he was the one keeping the spark alive and not her, as she had expected when deciding her future at his side. Little did she know that Aizen had had the same thoughts a thousand times before her.

Thinking more about her Samaki, Karin felt her phone vibrate somewhere into her handbag. She slowly took it off her shoulder, avoiding the dark bruise forming there from a fight she had with Jinta, and checked the number. To her surprise it was the subject of her thoughts: Samaki.

Not being into her best of moods, her temper resurfaced, this time being aimed at her defenseless boyfriend.

"What do you want?" she yelled into the phone's speaker like it was her mortal enemy.

"_I want to talk to you about something important_" answered the man, calmly like he always did when talking with an enraged Kurosaki.

"I'm not in the mood right now" she barked through her clenched teeth.

She knew Aizen did not deserve this kind of treatment from an annoying brat like her, but she was too angry to distinguish between who were her allies in this metaphoric fight with herself.

"_Come into the park at our usual spot in one hour and a half. We need to discuss something_" stated Aizen from the other line, almost like nothing could have disturbed him, not even a tornado "_Don't be late_" he added before closing the phone.

Something from his tone rubbed Karin the wrong way, because ever since she had known Aizen, he had never used that cold harsh tone. He had been a creep, an asshole, a bastard and many things, but never had he been that indifferent towards her, at least not after they've become closer than friends.

Karin's legs buckled under her a little, but sooner than expected she regained her footage.

'_Why am I acting like this_?' she asked her inner-self '_And if he dares to dump me, I'll just castrate him with a __blunt knife and throw him in a river. Problem solved._' However her reassurances sounded somehow faded due to the loud banging of her heart pulsating against the ribcage, probably trying to break it apart and fly away from a chest which could no longer sustain its power.

Her whole body began to shake and only then did she realize the true meaning of the emotions tearing her heart apart like it was a useless piece of paper. It was complicated and it hurt like hell, but it was also delicious, from a masochist perspective at least. Therefore Karin could remember feeling the same things half a decade ago after Toshiro left her ... The same painful nightmare revolving around her fragile conscience begging for comfort and love ... Love ... How it hurt care for someone so much.

Her hand moved forward touching the rough surface of a tree's trunk. She was half way to the park, but with all the logic standing behind her actions, Karin just didn't seem to be able to move even an inch forward. Her whole body had stopped working a long time ago, leaving space for the argumentative fight.

After what seemed like an eternal debate with her inner feelings, the girl realized she had arrived at their meeting place ... One hour earlier than planned.

To say she was scared like shit was an understatement, but what she felt in that second standing before an old oak and praying to god for something she didn't even know, outturned every possible and impossible emotion anyone dreamed of experiencing. It was like a void sucking away her sanity, her energy... Her whole being.

Suddenly, a strong sensation of deja vu hit Karin straight in the face like a hammer plunging into a wall. 5 years prior to these events she had waited for Toshiro to come at the soccer field and he hadn't come. It was almost the same pattern. The same play, played by different actors, but with a slightly different context.

It didn't take long for darker thoughts to invade her mind and take over the little sanity she had left.

A puffing-like noise attracted Karin's attention and after following it, she found its source: a tall male with brown eyes and reddish hair leaning nonchalantly against a tree-branch.

"Why didn't you tell me you were here? I've been waiting for you 10 meters away, so you could have bothered yourself with searching for me, unless your fat ass was too heavy to perform such a complicated task" sneered Karin at the man.

The other's eyes remained emotionless, much to her dismay and disappointment. Not getting any reaction to her bittersweet sarcasm made Karin fell uneasy and she could almost say that it worried her. Not more than the sweet voice whispering bullshits into her ear about how much she'll suffer once Aizen breaks her in pieces by leaving her behind.

"Cat ate tour tongue Samaki?" she reinforced her previous statement with a new wave of irony "or maybe you ability to speak properly dropped in the last few days. Last time I've checked you were an A student at Japanese."

"Your attitude is getting worse by every passing minute" finally answered Aizen, not even bothering himself to look at his partner.

Karin's eye widened, but decided to ignore the knife digging into her heart deeper and deeper.

"Are you trying to be ridiculous? Because my god you are succeeding."

"Do I look ridiculous to you?"

"Do you need an answer?" snarled Karin.

Aizen seemed to struggle with his answer, at least that was the impression given to the outside world. What he was thinking remained a secret only he could know.

"I think we should end it" suddenly said the man.

Like the last time, but with the force of a typhoon, the brutality and directness hit Karin in the face almost knocking her off her feet. More or less literal. Blood drained from her veins instantaneously, leaving the girl with an awful sensation of emptiness and pain.

So the impression she had prior to the meeting was proving to be correct. He had decided to end their somehow strange, yet entertaining relationship.

"What!" she asked, fooling herself that it was just a pun Aizen thought would be funny to use, but the world clashed on her shoulders when he turned around and looked her straight in the eye.

"I'm dumping you"

For the first 30 seconds Karin didn't move an inch, then her body shook abruptly like wind would have blown her away and in the end she began to laugh.

When being put face to face with a nightmare the best way to ignore it, is by laughing in its face. It was kind of childish and very dangerous, but effective, especially in cases like this.

Aizen didn't understand her outburst one tiny bit. Still, coming from an eccentric creature like Karin it was expected to be at least ten times stranger than the always boring normality. Just seeing her there, acting all insane and abnormal made Aizen even more reticent at going along with his initial plan. He seemed to falter for a couple of unbearably painful seconds, but then a decision was made.

"You're boring ... I think I just got bored" he stated not breaking their eye contact. Nor could he do such a thing, because Karin's glare burned with so much passion that Aizen had a really hard time controlling his body into submission after being on step away from taking her into his arms and kissing her senseless "You're also too weak to fight on par with me. I was not expecting us to be equals, but enough to be able to keep me entertained you should have been."

"Weak you say ... Hmm?" repeated Karin, unintentionally throwing a smirk of superiority at Aizen.

"Yes" he reinforced.

"And boring?"

"Very" replied dryly the man.

Karin felt good as all the blood witch had previously abandoned her veins came back like a lava, burning everything in its path. And its final destination, target was Aizen.

She lunched at him in one hell of an anger display, with her hands forward and lacking a strategy. Being overly pissed seemed to cloud her judgment, so she hadn't felt Aizen's fist digging into her abdomen, until she was projected in a tree by its inhuman force. Dizziness took over her already tangled senses, but even into that dizzy state she was able to turn around and slam her foot in what she thought to be Aizen's crotch, but was actually his knee.

A small smiled flowered at the corner of his lips, being replaced instantaneously by an evil smirk. If he was toying with the little sanity she had left or was sincerely impressed by her vicious attitude, Karin could not know. However she was quite sure he was boiling an evil plan involving her person.

Respecting her predictions, the man grabbed her ankle, since she didn't have enough of a reflex to retract her leg in time, and twisted it at an awkward angle, which made the unprotected girl release an unpleasant hiss of pain.

"Are you calmer?" asked Aizen studying her contorted expression.

"If having the undying desire to kill you with a blunt knife falls into the _calmer_ category then yes ... I'm calmer."

She didn't need to see his face in order to guess the feline smile widening and stretching over his face. After so much time, she knew when he felt the need to take a piss, vulgarly said.

"No. It's not what I would categorize as calm. It's probably worse than angry"

"What the hell do you want from me!" snapped Karin at him "if you wanted to end our relationship, you could have just sent one of those classic messages with _it's not you it's me_ and spare me of this unnecessary drama"

"I'm not the one who's acting all dramatic Karin" stated Aizen plainly, like he was not even remotely affected by the situation and maybe, at some degree, he wasn't.

Karin released her ankle from the tight hold, by jerking and spinning on her heels facing the source of her distress. The bitter sarcasm which was about to spill from her mouth a moment ago, was forced down her throat.

"I'm disappointed Karin" whispered Aizen moving closer and closer "I am really disappointed"

"Yeah. You've already told me. I'm boring I'm weak and I do not deserve your godly attention" grumbled Karin begrudgingly.

"No. Actually I'm disappointed that you've believed me" Karin's eyes became large as onions "If you had ever been remotely boring I wouldn't have spent my time with you ... at all. If you had been weak I wouldn't have begun training you" he came even closer while Karin was struck in place by a nonexistent lighting "you loose your temper too fast for my taste, but" he let his long fingers play with a rebel strand of black hair hanging over Karin's barely ajar eyes "I guess it's part of your charm"

As many times before, Aizen shifted his hand behind her neck, titling her head at a desired angle and then molded his lips with her rosy ones, nibbling softly at her bottom lip at the same time. As any respected villain Aizen was the perfect multitask. His hands encircled her waist, squeezing her against his chest until her every muscle was breathing alongside his synchronously.

She didn't struggle or make any sound which might have been an indication of brain activity, being too stunned to form a coherent thought, therefore her body resembled a broken doll, hanging in a man's arms.

"Karin?" asked Aizen when light didn't seem to turn on behind her eyes "Are you ok?"

Suddenly a flash of light sparkled from somewhere under her pupil, spreading rapidly over her iris and lighting up her dark blue eyes. Aizen was about to inquire her on what the hell happened when a heavy palm twisted his body back a couple of meters.

"You …" barked Karin exposing her teeth ferociously "FUCKING ASSHOLE!" she literally jumped on him, straddling his waist like a wild beast which was about to corner its prey and kill it slowly "I'm going to cut your fucking throat with a blunt knife and then stick it in your ass!"

Aizen barely had enough time to dodge a punch directed at his face, when her other hand slammed into his unprotected chest.

"I think you're becoming better" he coughed as the pain began to emerge from inside his gigai.

As expected from a native choleric, she ignored him completely, not bothering herself with understanding his rational explanations, and continued her erratic assault on his physical person. After a couple of tries, which failed in a disastrous way, she managed to corner him between two thick tree trunks. He didn't seem scared and when she raised her hand to show him that messing with a Kurosaki was unacceptable and deserved the capital punishment a bright object attracted her attention.

The first thought which crossed her mind was '_How in the name of Valhalla had this thing appeared on my god damn finger_' but soon noticed Aizen's cryptic stare and the path of his stare, both being directed at her hand. She checked her vision for blurry spots, not being sure if her eyes were playing pranks on her, or she had acquired a ring by magic.

"It's a birthday gift. Today is your 17-th birthday, isn't it?" stated Aizen nonchalantly.

Just saying that little number made Aizen realize exactly how young she really was. Maybe she was not acting as her age was dictating, but still, it was exponentially less than any Shinigami he had known. It was far less than his real age which was having too many zeros to count. Compared to that huge number, 17 years were like the period he had spent creating Grand Fisher.

"Why are you looking at me like I'm an infant?" snapped Karin at her companion "I know you are two years older, but it's not a big difference."

Aizen shrugged. She was being better and better at reading him.

"Who is the poor sap who had the bad luck of being the ex-possessor of this ring?" the sarcasm dripping like a cascade from her tone as she took it off and read the letters embedded on the inside of the strange object resting on her palm.

Aizen sighed at Karin's harsh comment, the exasperation being reflected in his body-language

"Do you really think I would give you stolen goods?"

The subtle curve of her lips gave him the answer.

"That's just ridiculous."

"Then why is it written ALYK instead of something related to us or our names?"

Studying Aizen's not so subtle smirk of superiority, Karin decided not to check into it too much, because once Aizen knew she had a curiosity to satisfy, he made everything possible for that curiosity not be satisfied, by him or any other breathing creature.

"I guess I should thank you" mumbled Karin defensively.

"You should"

"Then thank you for bringing me a stolen ring and being nice enough towards your unsatisfying lover to share part of your treasure with the undeserving her" acted Karin dramatically. Another thing she had learned from Isshin.

"You're welcome Karin" answered Aizen as he embraced her waist in a tight hold.

He lowered his head and placed a soft kiss just bellow her earlobe, much to her absolute disappointment, but took her by surprise with his next words, whispered sensually against the shell of her ear.

"This ring makes you mine" she tried to argue, but was cut off when he added "And makes me, yours" and then as it was expected he kissed her in one of the most possessive make out session they ever had.

With the last drop of strength Karin responded eagerly, not forgetting to bite his lip as punishment for daring to make fun of her with that little prank about dumping her. Still it was the first time Aizen felt something he had never felt from Karin … that no matter how possessive he was being in their kiss, she was beating him at it. For the first time Karin was kissing him with desperation and much more than that. A mixture of need, happiness and desire.

If he didn't know better, he could have sworn she was happy they were still together.

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Gin stood before his co-workers, enjoying the dark looks he received from Yumichika and his best buddy, Ikakku, but being somehow disappointed by Matsumoto's lack of interest in the subject at hand. On the other hand, Hinamori was too interested by his report to actually listen to its much deeper meaning. At least she was being attentive enough for all of them.

"And so Mayuri said he ain't goin' to be able to give a report until cockroaches are removed from his laboratory" finished Gin the task of informing his teammates of Mayuri's on going investigation.

"Very interesting" mumbled Ikkaku "Dr. Frankenstein might make new friends and create a new species of Shinigami: shiniroches"

"Stop talking non-sense" snapped Yumichika at him "just thinking about something as ugly as that makes me wanna puke."

Gin stopped himself from giving the gay looking man a healthy slap over the back, when Ikkaku happened to grant his wish, multiplying it by two.

"What the hell" swore the man, after Ikkaku had finished assaulting him.

Gin tried to step in, but a cold sensation of fear mixed with adrenalin invaded his whole body, conquering piece by piece his previously lost hope.

His always present grin melted when a familiar reiatsu enveloped his senses, leaving the dark trail of a long lost memory behind it as a reminder of a distant past. He knew, albeit instinctively what was happening, but couldn't distinguish between reality and dream. However a new wave of energy attacked him. There was no way he could have kept his mouth shut.

"He's here" he said slowly, attracting Toshiro's attention, who happened to be listening.

"What? Who's here?"

"Aizen is here. He's in this town. Right now. Right at this moment" stated Gin, his voice raspy and yet somehow excited.

All the Shinigami present in the room froze on the spot and from all of them, only Himanori had the strength and maybe curiosity to ask:

"How can you be so sure? We've been looking for him like rabid dogs and you didn't say anything, until now. What's with this sudden change of heart?"

"I've just felt a short spike of power" he confessed, doing anything that was humanly possible not to jump from his seat and run like a madman around Karakura "it was unmistakably a Shinigami's power. Subtle but impossible to miss"

"Do you mean that Aizen could really be in this town" babbled Hinamori.

"It's not about wherever he can be or not. He IS here and I could put my life on the line to prove it"

Matsumoto stared at Gin like it was her first time seeing him. Maybe it was, judging how restless his expression was, how big and shiny his blue eyes were, how his being seemed to be on fire, more or less literal. In that second, the silver haired Shinigami looked more alive than he ever did in over 100 years of existence.

"What is it that you have felt?" interrupted Toshiro the uncomfortable silence "his spiritual energy or something else?"

"Partially his energy, but it was very weak and channeled through something ..."

"Something ... What?" asked Hinamori from a standing position.

"The Hōgyoku"

This additional information created a huge fuss between the present Shinigami, forcing them to admit it was possible for the traitor to live between Karakura's citizens.

"Are you 100% sure it was Aizen that you felt?" asked Toshiro, just to be sure it was not a simple misunderstanding. Still Gin's features betrayed too many emotions to be faked.

"I'm more than sure. What I felt was that thing. And where the Hōgyoku is there is precisely where Aizen squirms"

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After a heated make out session, Karin decided to make fun of the man's unusual calm predisposition and pushed him in the lake, leaving him there to cool off the steam. At least that was her excuse. She would have never confessed she just love the sight of a surprised –and wet to the bone- Aizen Samaki.

On her way back from the park, she spotted an erratic Toshiro. Thinking that he was just having a bad day, even though he seemed to have a bad day twice a day, Karin approached him from behind, literally stepping on her toes. With the help of divinity, her steps didn't encounter any obstacle in their path, so when he was one centimeter away from him, she jumped on the boy's back, making him snap back at her.

"What the hell!"

"Chill Toshiro" she raised her arms up, trying to excuse herself, but not sounding in the least convincing in the boy's ears.

"That was not funny" he frowned, clearly being unpleasantly startled.

Karin grinned like a cat and poked his cheek.

"Actually that was kind of funny. Only once can one see the Captain of the 10-th Squad be taken by surprised by a mere human being, who doesn't have enough power to crush a low level Hollow"

Toshiro tried to ignore the annoying girl, but something attracted his attention back at her. If it was the absolutely gorgeous smile or the soft light, which seemed to be emanated from her being like the sweet flavor of spring, he couldn't decide.

"Toshiro. Let's have a soccer game" interjected the girl, clapping her hands together.

"Sorry Karin. I have something to do. I'll see you tomorrow" he excused himself.

"Come on. It will be fun and we'll have popcorn" insisted Karin.

"No"

Then he left, not waiting for Karin to finish her statement. She stood there, in the middle of the road, resembling a lost puppy waiting for the master he had lost a while back.

"Tomorrow morning I leave for Paris" she mumbled, being somehow upset at her inability to cope with this minor change of plans, but being even angrier at this unfortunate turn of events "But then again why would you care"

Every single time she thought she could have a chance, Toshiro would just flip the page, miming that annoying indifference and abandoning everything he had started. He was a pro at disappointing her and it seemed that over the years he had become even better at this bad habit of his.

'_At least Samaki does not treat me like that_' a soft whisper flew though her mind earning a response from the negative part of her brain '_No. He treats you worse'_

First Aizen gave her a promise ring. Even if he had never actually told her it was an engagement ring or anything to be taken seriously, there was no way she could miss the real connotation hiding behind the "you're mine and I'm yours" thingy. And if that wasn't enough, the ALYK engraved in the golden layer didn't leave space for imagination.

"Well ... Who cares for this shit anyways" she grabbed the handbag from the park's bench and ran home where she and Yuzu had to prepare their luggage for a long, longs trip.

Thinking about adapting to Europe's time zone made Karin dizzy. And it was an 8 hour difference between Paris and Karakura.

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Sorry, sorry, sorry … don't kill me!

This chapter had been written from my mobile phone ... What was Codry doing during courses?

I'm going to say sorry for prolonging your wait … I really am sorry. Truth to be told … I kinda began to draw and I plan to draw a picture with these two very amazing characters. It may take a while, but I really wanna make fanart for them. Ummm … life has been rather busy and the next three weeks will be a nightmare, but hopefully I'll be able to write another chapter after I finish my exam session.

If it hadn't been for KureaRinyu37furansu I would have procrastinated this chapter for at least another month or so.

About this chapter and the ring. As many have realized I plan to take their relationship to another level, but I don't think Karin would be the type to hop into bed with a guy, unless she has some guaranties that he won't flee afterwards. As for the actual lemon, I might be tempted to write one, but not the first time. Usually the "first times" are the lamest and most unrealistic lemons ever and I don't wanna get into this predicament. Safety reasons.

Why was Gin the only one able to sense Aizen? Well he knows him, and his energy, the best.

Next chapter: Our heroes arrive in Paris. I really want to make this chapter funny as hell.


	24. Holiday?

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

Enjoy the read, along with my mistakes.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 24: Holiday?**

"_In this estranged world that had nothing to offer, I became unable to live … I thought this was the end for my defiled heart and for my lazy mind, but then the impossible happened. Someone like me, lonely and damaged, found a way in my soul, making me realize that I was not alone, that he understood me in every aspect of my being. I felt naked before him, like an open book, only to find out later, that he felt the same thing._

_We shared everything … from the same bowl to the same toothbrush, from the same soccer ball to the same old dirty couch and from the same pure feeling of love to the same … bed._

_The way we acted around each other was perceived as strange by our companions. We resembled a dog and a cat fighting in an unfair battle, Aizen being the only possible winner … but I fought … I fought in an unfair relationship, not knowing that … it will end in tragedy._

_I hoped in vain that your megalomania was an illusion and I also hoped the god complex I saw mirrored in your brown eyes was just a fragment of my imagination, but it wasn't … _

_So … in the end, when it was too late to take it all back, I realized … we shared nothing, but a lie_"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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After a long flight over Russia and a long pause of 4 hours in Moscow, the large group of high-scholars finally reached its final destination: the city of lights, the gorgeous capital of France; in one word: Paris. They retrieved their luggage from the place they had been stored into and, after having their passports checked by a nice all-smiling lady, were left alone to find their way in the middle of a grand hall. A staircase which led to an underground mini-mall could be seen going down straight into the ground and through the windows they could notice the highway going over the airport. Unfortunately neither of them owned a car or any other means of transport, so they were forced, by the situation, to find another way of travelling through the city.

Usually one comes well prepared for a trip on the other side of the Earth, but their manager was none other than the always forgetful coach.

"So let me get this straight" began Karin obvious to the predicament they were into "You forgot the number of the guy we were supposed to call when we arrive in Paris"

The unbelievably tall soccer coach nodded, serious face in place.

"And we are stuck in this miserable airport till someone bothers himself to call our embassy and get that number for us"

"Pretty much" agreed the man "and it's not mis-".

"Great. Superb. Brilliant" interjected the girl begrudgingly, her tone jumping a couple of decibels at every new adjective.

The coach didn't approve of Karin's behavior, but didn't state his objections out loud, and the others just avoided getting in the path of an emerging volcano, threatening to take them down, with her, in the abyss of the always burning Tartarus. Karin rubbed her temples, trying to calm down the boiling blood flowing though her veins, though all her efforts seemed to be in vain.

After what seemed like an eternity of glaring at one another, Yuzu whispered towards Karin, even if everyone could clearly hear her soft voice.

"We can go eat something at a restaurant and then come back and see if the problem was solved"

"We would have had no damn problem if someone hadn't forgotten that phone number." snapped Karin, not bothering to change her focus on the coach.

However Tony seemed to agree with Yuzu.

"Yuzu you are a genius. Let's go eat something. I'm starving and I really wanna taste the well-known French food."

"We had breakfast in the plane"

"But I'm hungry" continued to whine the boy as he rubbed his troubling tummy.

"Guys" stated Karin as she looked at the big airport "Good luck finding your way out from this maze."

"What ma-"

"We'd better go find someone who has an idea of how to get out of this place."

"Or use a map" said Aizen, as he pointed at a stack of maps placed on a table so anyone could take one in case of need.

"That would probably do" muttered Karin, clearly happy with the sudden turn of events. Plus she was the type of person to guide herself after a written material, not after verbal advices from locals.

So, after two hours in which the group had tried to find out what was the fastest way to get into the city and another two trying to acquire tickets for a train called "RAR" from an auto-machine, which unluckily for them had as language options French and Spanish, they had finally managed to gather the necessary amount of tickets to get onto the platform.

"So … where do we go now?" mumbled Karin while studying the map.

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_After two hours …_

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Karin rotated the map 90 degrees and swore at whoever created it to be so damn unintelligible. Then she turned it another 180 degrees and to her amazement it began to acquire some sort of hieroglyphic sense, which tuned to dust when she saw the names and indications written _only_ in French. She stared at the hats hanged above the letters of the Latin alphabet -alphabet she had been forced to learn at school- wondering if they were the accents her teacher had been bragging about for the last month.

Three minutes later Tony began to scream profanities in their mother tongue, Japanese.

For another short period of time she tried to distinguish between hats, oblique lines and other encrypted characters, giving up when Tony could not handle the pressure and ripped the map apart just before her lethargic eyes.

Aizen tried not to laugh at Karin's disrupted, void of any emotion, expressionless, totally destroyed face. However Yuzu seemed to lack the same amount of self control Aizen had in his possession and didn't block the snicker which threatened to whistle between her barely parted lips. Karin threw a dirty in look in her direction, but made no comment.

"Tony" barked Karin with her teeth clenched "What are you doing?"

"We don't need this shitty map. We just have to ask a local for information and _pam-pam_ we'll be there in no time" he exclaimed, being quite proud of his deduction.

"And how do you plan to do that Einstein" snapped the black haired girl "Since none of us actually knows how to … French."

Tony took the pose of an all knowing Buddha man and crossed his arms over his healthy bosom.

"I know French"

Skeptical glares coming from all the members of the group weren't able to decrease the boy's confidence, Moreover they strengthened his confidence in his almost nonexistent linguistic abilities. Still Karin wasn't the type to keep her mouth shut.

"And what do you know in French, apart from … oui, non, merci and de rien"

"What does _de rien_ mean?" asked Tony instinctually.

Everyone released a sigh of pure annoyingness.

Aizen rolled his eyes at his classmate's predicament and without asking for permission, he approached a young woman which seemed to be in her late thirties.

"Bonjour Madame... pouvez-vous nous dire où on peut trouver cet hotel" (_Hello Madame … can you tell us where we can find this hotel?_) and handed her a piece of paper with a name written on it.

The woman snickered and began to speak fluently, a clear sign of being a native Parisian. From her wild, if not overly-excessive, gestures pointing in different directions, everyone could deduce that the woman was giving Aizen indications of how to reach whatever he had told her he desired to reach. Still none could understand her tongue, except probably Aizen himself.

If his little stunt didn't leave Karin perplexed, then nothing did.

As he was explaining to everyone the route they were supposed to take with as many details as he could, Karin observed the woman he had previously asked for directions, as she turned around twice to look at him. Her features clearly had a lustful intent painted on them, but it was more than that. Karin didn't have the necessary time to continue her observation, because the woman disappeared from sight just as fast as she appeared. A part of her was tempted to run after her and slap the lusty woman across the face for daring to stare like that at her lover, but not even once had she given cause for her desire.

"See!" screamed Tony at the crowd "I told you we were close"

Yuzu gave a soft smile and followed Tony -in the right direction this time- The others followed her example.

Meanwhile Karin debated with herself weather to inquire Aizen about this newly acquired knowledge or leave the subject alone, since French might have been one of the two languages he had been forced to learn in middle school. Still … it was quite clear he didn't fancy English or languages in general, the disastrous grades he had at any subject related to this theme were a sustaining proof, so why would French make an exception?

"You've never bothered to tell me you know French" she mumbled when they were far enough to not be heard by anyone from their entourage.

"You've never bothered to ask" his cryptic answer earned him an elbow in the stomach "I've learned some words when I found out we were going to come here" He cough out the phrase in one try. Karin thought it was because of her hit's force "One must always be prepared when going in vacation"

"But why French? You could've practiced your English skills, not that it would have helped here …" she continued to question him as her curiosity diminished. It was clear he didn't desire to tell her his secret.

"Parce que c'est une langue sensuelle"(_Because it's a sensual language_)

"In Japanese if you don't mind"

When she received no answer, a frown found its way on the girl's overly annoyed face.

"If you're planning to speak in French with me ever again, we're braking up, right here right now. Just so you know" snapped Karin back at him.

"Tu es injuste, mon amour"(_you're being unjust, my love_) teased Aizen some more, not fearing the repercussions in the least.

Karin slapped him across the back of the head and rushed her steps, trying to reach the others, but Aizen matched his own steps with her unnatural speed keeping up with it quite perfectly.

However, soon, they realized something, which could have been categorized as _pathetic_. During their little quarrel they had failed to see that their group had disappeared from sight or more like, they have lost them from sight.

As it was expected Karin began to panic due to the high level of stress she had been put through since setting foot on the foreign airport, but Aizen managed to calm her a little by reminding her that he knew the local language and could easily ask someone for directions just as he had previously done.

"Plus we could take this time only for ourselves, without nosy classmates and sticky sisters on our trail" added Aizen wearing a peevish smirk.

"Hey that's my sister you're talking about, monsieur Aizen" mocked Karin begrudgingly, partially agreeing, partially not wanting to have her sister referred to as _sticky_.

She waved a hand at a taxi, but Aizen shook his head at the driver, dismissing him as soon as he stopped beside them. Karin swore she had heard an "Enculé" which was probably a vulgar way of expressing ones discontent in French.

"I know, but I hope you're not expecting to see all there is to be seen, from the comfortable seat of a car" he said while grabbing her hand and dragging her towards what, she'll find out later, was the center of the old city.

After arriving in there, Aizen behaved like a true gentleman and took her to a fancy restaurant where they served a delicious traditional French meal whose name was too complicated to be pronounced. Afterwards they visited some of the most well known attractions in the city, like _the Eiffel Tower__, _the renowned_ Louvre Museum__, just for two hours__,_ Notre Dame _Cathedral__,__ Sacre-Coeur Basilica _and they even managed to see theArc de Triomphe. Only after marching around half of the city on foot -that being an exaggeration because no normal human can see all these touristic attractions without using alternative means of transport, like Metro, buses and taxis- fatigue took a toll on their already exhausted bodies and they went back to the hotel.

There, they were assaulted by an angry coach, an equally angry Yuzu and some amused classmates.

"We lost our way back and wandered around the city till now" was Karin's excuse "Now if you don't mind I'm going to find my room and sleep till next century"

Aizen seemed to agree and so they both dragged their bodies in their respective rooms in order to rest.

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Karin yawned, lazily moving a leg in order to reposition her body at a more comfortable angle on the pool chair.

Yuzu still hadn't woken up and Aizen was probably sound asleep after a day full of unexpected adventures involving French food, Effil Tower and _barging_ in Moulin Rouge. She had found the position of the modern bordello –since Karin couldn't make the difference between a bordello and a cabaret- quite inappropriate. She wasn't a religious person, but putting a whore house _near_, if near meant over 500 meters, a basilica was a different kind of taking the unwritten laws of Christianity not world by word.

A subtle movement caught Karin's eyes and Aizen's usual perfume invaded her nostrils. She didn't need to turn around in order to recognize the man approaching her.

"Good morning, mister Aizen" saluted Karin from her sitting position, using her hand as an obstacle for the bright morning sun "Are you enjoying the view?"

Her question was quite innocent and didn't hold any perverse meaning, much to the annoyance of Aizen who couldn't take his eyes off the red, two-piece bikini decorating her petite frame. He checked her out from head to toe in an instant, his glance remaining unnoticed.

"I am" he stated plainly.

She raised an eyebrow and stared at him intensely then left her place on the chair and came closer.

"Are you feeling fine Samaki?"

"Very. Why do you ask?"

"You just seem a little off …" she confessed, coming even closer until their toes touched.

The always annoying smirk reached his lips and, using her short moment of negligence, he pushed her in the pool.

She hit the water with her back, swearing between clenched teeth the pain felt when making contact with it. Even if water was not her favorite element, she knew that from a high altitude water could become as deadly as concrete.

"Sorry. My hand slipped" he smirked at the wet woman who was pinning him down with a deadly glare rivaling that of a gang of hungry Hollows. She swam at the edge, continuing their staring contest with the same fervor as before.

"You're not sorry" she barked, struggling to get out, but slipping every single time.

"You're right. I'm not" he admitted, not reluctant, just a little bored "And trust me I don't regret this either"

Karin didn't understand what he meant by that, but as soon as he kneeled before her, grabbed her wrists and raised himself offthe ground, along with her stiff body, hanging by the hands, she understood what he had in mind. In one last try of preventing Aizen from embarrassing her even more by throwing her in the swimming pool, Karin began to struggle against his strong hold. As expected her tries ended up to be in vain.

Realizing that she won't be able to outrun him in a contest of brute force, Karin steadily wrapped her legs around his waist, securing her safety al least for the time being. Then she made it quite clear she won't let him go anytime soon by digging her heels in his back and almost cutting off him blood supply while strangling his waist. To say Aizen had been rather surprised by this event was an understatement, yet he didn't appear to be bothered by having a wet Karin attached to his body. On the contrary, he seemed to enjoy the special treatment he received from the soccer captain.

"What are you smirking for?" inquired Karin "Am I supposed to be funny?"

Before he could explain his peculiar behavior, Aizen took a step forward, forgetting to check his surrounding for any slippery spots. Therefore, his right foot encountered a small puddle of water previously formed by Karin's dripping wet body and, as it was expected, he slipped on it, skating on the pavement until his feet reached the pool's edge. If Karin hadn't been attached to his front, he would have had a chance at regaining his equilibrium, but since that was not the case, he fell right in the pool.

In the haze of the moment, Karin managed to detach herself from him and was on the verge of jumping on dry land, when she felt Aizen's hand wrap its long fingers around her ankle, grabbing it tightly, and dragged her with him in the deep water. As soon as she realized her escaping plan had failed, she tried to get her foot free from his hold, but he didn't seem to understand her.

"Le' m' go u cra'y b'st'rd" she screamed, her words being distorted by the water surrounding them. She continued to throw vulgar words at him, until he let her ankle go.

She swam awkwardly back at the surface. Still, Aizen couldn't fail to notice that her way of swimming -if splashing water all around her in a chaotic manner can be called swimming- was utterly erratic and resembled that of a lost puppy. Thinking more about it, she did look like one of those dogs trying to get to the shore, only to be thrown back in the deepest see by a fairly strong current.

When he came back on the surface, Karin grabbed his arm for support and began to scold him for being an insensitive asshole.

"You crazy bastard!" she yelled at the half conscious male "We could have died you undeserving Samaki bastard."

"You can let go now" stated Aizen plainly, shaking her hand off, only to notice she didn't seem to get his hint "You can really let go now. I won't try to drown you again. I promise."

Karin didn't move.

Aizen stared.

She avoided his eyes and mumbled something intelligible under her breath.

"Don't tell me you don't know how to swim" suggested Aizen jokingly.

However Karin avoided any eye contact again, indirectly giving Aizen the answer he had foreseen. Isshin had never bothered to send them at swimming lessons, so neither her, nor Yuzu knew the fine art of moving hands and legs synchronously in a desperate try to keep one above water, or, as others referred to as, swimming. The only reason why she had been able to come back at the edge of the pool before was due to the stress induced panic attack which had conquered her body during a temporary mental crisis.

"So … you don't know how to swim" stated Aizen calmly, wrapping his hands around her slim waist and of course enjoying every single moment of having Karin draped over him, grabbing onto his body with wild abandon.

"Don't say it like that" she argued while her body jerked in his embrace almost like she found it unpleasant "and plus nobody bothered to teach me anything but the basics."

"That I can see quite easily judging that what you call basic swimming is a dog like way of splashing water around you" mocked Aizen using his fake smile as disguise.

"Come on Samaki. Be reasonable. I'm not _that_ bad"

"No. You're worse than bad"

"There's no such thing as worse than bad. You're just being overly pessimistic about it" counterattacked Karin.

Only then had Aizen realized Karin's unusually good mood "And now that I think about it you're being overly optimistic. What happed to the always and forever _I'm a bitch in vacation_ behavior?"

Karin threw him a glare, before nudging him aside. Unfortunately for her Aizen was in the mood to play with his unwilling prey. She didn't seem to mind having his hands explore her heated skin, but her eyes reflected intense feelings of anger and distress.

"What if someone sees us" argued Karin as Aizen pinned her against the pool's edge.

"Nobody is up at this hour" mumbled the man, playing with her damp hair '_Plus I can sense whenever anyone approaches our location and nobody is in this area anyway_'

Karin sighed, but let her small hands wander freely over his shoulder blades, then slipped them over his back and down his spine, feeling contempt and a small amount of feminine pride when his body shook softly with anticipation. However she didn't feel accomplished. As her hands camp up encircling his neck and bringing his mouth closer to hers, he captured her lips in what, one might call, a passionate kiss which forced her head back onto the pavement surrounding the pool.

She babbled something into his opened mouth and pushed him back a little in order to adjust the angle her head was positioned into. To her utter amazement and surprise he let her move him however she desired.

When she could kiss him properly she gave a soft bite to his lower lip and pecked the tip of his nose.

The smirk reflected on her lips made Aizen's junior jump a little. Even if he was desperately trying to keep it calm, her playful and jovial way of sharing her feelings was not helping him in the hard task of turning off the desire to fuck her senselessly right there, surrounded by water and sleeping people. Actually he found it quite exciting to do it in such a peculiar, albeit dangerous, place.

Karin woke him up from the reverie by pecking his lips slowly, in a teasing manner. He didn't lose the opportunely of taking her by surprise as he grabbed the back of her head and slammed his lips against hers fiercely. Furthermore his tongue invaded her wet cavern -this time slipping between her teeth without the danger of being bitten like the last time he had tried to kiss her- wrapping itself around her tongue. She struggled against his hold, but he kept her head in place urging, or more like begging her to play along.

A couple of struggles later Karin conceded to have it his way and, quite shyly, let her tongue be sucked in a hot game of control over who had the power to conquer the other, metaphorically said. She hugged his body tighter to her skin and let it all take over her mind. All she could feel were the perfectly sculptured body of her lover adorning her own and the water boiling around them like in a big cauldron forgotten on a stove. Anything else was lost in a blur.

Meanwhile Aizen was having quite a problem on his hands. With every sudden move made either by Karin's leg, which had the bad habit of jerking whenever he was nibbling her skin, either by her hands pinching his back, neck and whatever happened to be in the area, he was feeling his control slip by. Slowly, but surely.

When he could not take the pressure building in his lower regions anymore, he excused himself and detached Karin's curious hands from his body.

"What are you doing?" she asked confused and a little hurt for being rejected.

"I have something to do. Excuse me."

He used the pool's edge as leverage for his hands, being instantaneously propelled on shore. He left a trail of water behind him as he approached the changing room. Karin arched an eyebrow when seeing him jump one meter in the air due to exaggerating his force and was on the verge of making fun of his predicament, when a pair of rushed steps attracted her attention.

So when Yuzu appeared from behind the corner, wearing a pink one-piece swimsuit and two towels, searching erratically for her sister, she was surprised to find Karin _swimming_ happily in perfect circles in the middle of the pool.

"Karin what are you doing there?" she asked, meaning for the question to be rhetorical.

Her sister didn't think of it as rhetorical so she continued to splash water around her in a very unladylike manner, being careful to keep her head up in order to hear and answer at whatever question Yuzu found interesting.

"Just swimming around here and there. Sparing time for my daily activities. The usual stuff" mumbled Karin ambiguously as she swam towards the edge, struggling to keep her body on the surface.

"I see" answered Yuzu.

The young girl left the towels on Karin's chair and joined her sister, but unlike her, she didn't venture in the middle, where the water was too deep for her short stature, but kept her body on the surface by using the edge as a support. It wasn't like she knew how to swim, however watching Karin fight with the nonexistent current was too amusing …

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_One week later on May 29-th_

Few people knew when Aizen's birthday really was and even fewer believed that was his real birthday date. But that happened in Soul Society where people were being paranoid by nature. On earth things were quite different from how Soul Society worked as Aizen came to realize in his extensive amount of time spent there. In the Human World they were supposed to write it in every single official document, at every registration web page. He was wondering if he should just write it on his forehead so people could stop from asking him the same thing over and over again.

The day and month were not a problem since he had used his real birthday date, but the year had been the hardest to remember. After all he was quite ancient and writing his real year of birth would have freaked out every single being on earth, beside the ones who knew about the existence of ghosts and Shinigami.

And of course Karin had asked countless times for his birthday and he had refused to tell it to her just as many times. However she had caught sight of it over his shoulder when he was applying for his scholarship request. It had been embarrassing since Karin had made quite a fuss over his sign. Gemini, as she said, fitted his murderous, poker faced, double meaning personality. Not that he disagreed with her conclusion, but having his whole set of attributes judged only by the zodiac didn't ease his anger regarding the subject one bit.

So it didn't come as a surprise when, in a sunny Parisian evening of May the 29-th Karin barged into his room carrying a brad new set of Charmeuse satin crimson sheets, in her right hand and an equally reddish envelope in the other one.

"Happy birthday Samaki" she screamed at the top of her lungs, which proved to be larger than expected "Here is your gift" and she handed him the two objects deposited each in her hands "You can say thank you now"

Aizen raised an eyebrow being stuck somewhere between surprise and horror, not even trying to deny either of the two somehow related sentiments. His mouth, slightly gaped, managed to form the words which he was desperately trying to avoid from saying.

"Thank you. I guess. But how in the name of heavens am I supposed to react to" he made a theatrical pause meant to focus all the attention on his second gift "this" he added while pointing, with elegance and care, at the sheets.

Karin shrugged and let him decide what he wanted to do with this brand new set of satin _shits_. She jumped on his unmade bed and snuggled under his comfy covers, letting her head out in order to capture the reaction he was sure to make once he realized she was openly mocking him.

As expected, Aizen reacted nervously. He threw the package in a corned and almost smashed the table with the brute force of his fist. Still, she had no idea that she was one of the few lucky beings that had the chance to see Aizen angry and live to tell the story.

"It's just satin" mumbled Karin in his pillow "You don't need to act like an asshole, even if I'm quite sure it's not an act, but …"

Aizen's eyes slipped over her form, then over the sheets. He kneeled on the bed, beside her and looked down at her face.

She could almost sense the heat emanated by his body through the sheets, even if the contact was being kept to a minimum.

"Happy birthday Samaki" she whispered "I was sure you would be quite a fan of satin and soft, slimy fabrics in general"

"You can say I fancy it" he let his body slide on the bed, kissing the back of her, now exposed, neck.

"It must hurt to fancy a fabric" she chuckled, turning around and shifting her position just a little closer.

Aizen let out a bark of laughter mesmerizing Karin for a second and then decided to play a little with her, since she had decided to accompany him in his bed, on her own free will. He embraced her waist with his right hand and brought her closer to him while his other hand was massaging her neck from behind.

She was pinning him down with such fire and determination mirrored over the dark surface of her large eyes that Aizen hugged her even tighter, not even caring that she might feel his growing problem. He was at a point where he desired her body, but even more than that, he desired her approval, her willingness, her mind, her mischievous demeanor, all the nouns describing her as a different, individual, unique being created only for him.

"I love your eyes" he kissed her eyebrow, sweetly, moving his moth down over her eye.

She closed her eyelid, a sigh leaving her mouth as he kissed the skin covering her dark orb.

"I love when you look at me with that feline leer like you're lurking in the dark after something only you can find" his mouth came in contact with her cheek bone "I adore when you can shut me up with only one harsh glare" she gave him a sample of her so called _harsh glare, _but his trail descended almost like he had been encouraged to go even further with his exploration. He left her face and placed a kiss under her chin "and I cannot stand your disappointed look"

She inhaled loudly, as Aizen nuzzled her neck and then nibbled slowly at her earlobe.

With one last show of strength, she fisted his hair and brought his head up at her level, staring into his eyes searching for the one thing only he could give her.

"You are mine" she said in a voice filled with lust and desire "aren't you?"

He agreed with a nod of his head and proceeded in kissing the hell out of her. At the end of it, she could barely breathe from the sheer intensity of being dominated, yet left to her own devices. Her feelings were too complex to be explained, almost like she was lost in her own little world ruled only by totally unrelated emotions, which, ironically, made a perfect unity if only put together.

All she had known, all she had felt about her fears flew away as she was pushed into the soft mattress and … _loved_.

… _in a more physical way._

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Sorry for not updating in a while, but I have been deprived of internet connection for the last month or so. Anyways I gotta tell you .. this will be a hard year for me since it's my last, but I will try to squeeze writing this story into my already busy schedule. After all it is my favorite story :D and I'll try to update faster, in any case not once every three months.

Rushed ending was rushed. I hope this does not come as a surprise. As I said in the previous chapter, I don't plan to write _their_ first time, for safety reasons, but I will write a lemon at some point.

Thank you for the amazing reviews and for not killing me B) I'm one lucky girl to have such devoted readers. I love you all.

The idea with the swimming pool belongs to KureaRinyu37furansu. And I also wanna thank her for the English-French translation :D Thank you dear~

From the next chapter on, let's just say that life won't be so pink for … anyone. I think I have finally reached the moment I had been planning for a long, long time.

Also I need a beta, so if any of you would like to become the beta for this story, please PM me.


	25. Repercussions

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

**This chapter has been Betaed by Szayel's Angel! Thank you very very very much!**

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 25: Repercussions**

"_Since Ichigo had lost most of his precious Shinigami powers in The Winter War, things had changed drastically. Not from a bad angle I guess, but not good either. There are moments when he wishes he had his full powers back just to kick the bad guy's asses, though he had never told me so and I don't think he'll ever tell me these things. This is the way he had been structured by nature, by environment, by life._

_I cannot help him, but I do blame myself for his misery. I am, no matter what others might say, partially to blame and responsible for his feeble state. I had helped him achieve the highest peak of his powers only to know it will be his apogee._

_But I cannot fail to notice how much Karin had changed in these last four months. It can barely be observed with the bare eye, but something from her demeanor had shifted slowly, but surely. She is more confident in her abilities and when she kicks me for being a bother, her hits hold more power. I thought the biggest change had supervened when that ice boy had left, but it seems like I had been wrong. It wouldn't be the first time._

_She's probably having her last teenage spur, before finally becoming an adult. My babies are growing up so fast._"

Isshin Kurosaki's diary

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Aizen had never had the pleasure of a virgin woman, at least not before Karin came into his life and transformed what had seemed -at first glance- impossible into a wholly new experience; And having her in his bed, being her one and only made his ego burst with infinite pride. He could easily understand why men preferred virgins over already-used-woman, yet he had to admit that giving a virgin the pleasure she deserved for giving her honor up, was definitely ten times harder than with the other kind of women. Ever someone as experienced as him, and with a considerable number of years under his belt, had some problems during _their_ first time.

He tried to forget how she had mocked him the next day for not making her reach _the_ orgasm, but commented, probably trying to heal his already swollen masculine ego, that he had been pretty damn close. Those were her exact words: _pretty damn close_. Neither he, not his ego perceived it as a compliment, since it was not meant to be one in the first place, but agreed to make her pay for this slip the next time he had the chance to put his hands on her. Of course that by putting his hands on her he didn't mean what other people might think, but it was pretty close. After all having sex involved a certain amount of contact and intimacy, plus putting ones hands on the partner.

To his surprise, the chance came pretty soon as his adoptive parents left, both of them, in a trip overseas; somewhere in China, or so they had told him. So he was at home, all alone.

Luckily Karin decided to visit him now and then, keeping him busy –under the sheets as well– and even spent a week-end at his house. When he had inquired her upon what her relatives thought of her late-night escapades she dismissed him with a '_They think I'm with my girlfriend, talking shits and having makeovers_'

Like _she_ was the type to makeover.

How he wished he could tell her how much he was enjoying her company, physical, as well as psychical, but telling her that would prove to be inefficient to his purposes. He could only observe her from afar.

As expected, Karin's physic had proven to be quite rich in _surprises_ as well.

After seeing her naked, he swore he will force those clothes off her every single time he had the chance.

And if he got over the almost-always-present Kurosaki frown, he could actually see a brilliant creature with refined tastes. Judging that she didn't show this side of her too often, there was no choice but to force it out of her.

He had expected her to be quite gifted underneath those awful clothes she chose to wear almost all the time, but his first impression exceeded his expectations. Apart from possessing the most perfect pair of breasts he had ever seen and having a sculptured body with plenty of muscles, probably due to the numerous sports she had practiced, she also possessed the unique gift of flexibility. All these attributes mixed together in the same bowl made Kurosaki Karin the perfect sex-partner. Though he had to admit he was a little disappointed with his inability to see through her shabby appearance the first time they had met, but those times were long gone.

If only he would have been capable of guessing her potential and the blood she shared with the Kurosaki family in the first place, maybe many of the events which had happened between their first computer science lesson and his mind-illumination wound have happened differently: like behaving differently, though she would have seen right through it so he eliminated this from the start, or being more subtle with his aversion towards the Kurosakis, not that she seemed annoyed by it. Actually, she didn't give a flying fuck, for lack of a less vulgar word. He suspected she cared a lot for her family; her protective nature usually aimed at the younger twin sustained this theory. But maybe because she instinctually knew her other two male relatives were strong enough to protect themselves, she didn't care to bully him into respecting them.

Not that he will _ever_ respect that blunt and crude Kurosaki. As for his father, he lost all respect he might have harbored when witnessing, albeit incidentally, his clown-like behavior. No father should behave like that around his children; not that he was the one to give advices. Even though Karin often told him of her father's unusual personality, being careful to pinpoint his shrewdness.

On the opposite pole stood Yuzu. Karin's twin. She was pretty nice and also naïve when judging an individual only by appearance. Just as Hinamori had once been, she could not see behind his illusion, so at some point she became too boring to be on his radar.

His thoughts came back on a cleaner trail, ignoring Karin's family.

He sipped from his tea pleasant memories conquering his mind. A nudge forced him out of his meditative state.

"Karin" his tone harsh "Is it really necessary to bully me?"

She nudged him again almost – _almost_ – spilling the tea from his cup. He was angry at her antics, but used to them to a certain level.

"How in the name of all gods have I survived with you for –" her hand came up and she began to count her fingers, reaching 7 and then abruptly stopping "– seven months"

"Seven very long months" added Aizen as he placed his tea on the table with elegance, hoping it won't be abused by Karin.

"Thanks a lot" snapped Karin, banging her first into the table while Aizen watched, undoubtedly feeling the sudden urge to kill a certain someone, as his cup's content spread over the table and onto his pants.

At least Karin's hand was in range and she had been affected by it as much as he had been.

"I see you are as infuriating as ever. I hope you _do_ plan to change that in the future?"

A smirk reached his lips and Karin knew she won't like the answer.

"I don't know. You sure seemed to enjoy my infuriating nature last night, or was it this morning?" he pinched his chin theatrically "I thing both. Definitely both"

"I did no such thing" she sulked, sinking back into the couch while rubbing her burned hand.

"Of course you didn't" his voice cracking with amusement.

Karin closed her eyes; her body language filled with exasperation "Let's just go choose my new goalkeeper …"

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Meanwhile, Soul Society was having some kind of seizure. After being on guard for 4 months during which nothing … absolutely nothing had happened, peace had been restored; at least as much peace as one place can have with a lunatic on the loose.

So, due to the long period of silence and serenity, things began to develop and The Captains, especially the one ruling over the 12-th Squad, came with different strategies of how to catch their ex-colleague. Some of their _ideas_ were absolutely appalling others were lacking any sense, but the one they had agreed it was the best didn't seem to get any result.

Mayuri suggested, among other things which involved cutting, experimenting and dissecting, that they should study what souls had come recently in Soul Society and see if any of them were either killed or contacted by Aizen. After all there was no way Aizen could stay on Earth without killing one or two individuals. Therefore the 12-th Squad released hundreds of thousands pictures of Aizen.

As soon as the photos spread through Rukongai thousands of people claimed they had seen Aizen. Some of them even claimed they had fought him and other exaggerated stories which had been dismissed from the start.

Two very long months, all Shinigami had to search and search and search again -because searching didn't seem to be enough of a bother- for Aizen all over the Globe. They checked all possibilities even if some of them were _over and beyond_ idiotic. Some random guy said he had met Aizen somewhere in a bordello, with Aizen being a male prostitute.

They knew Aizen was a master of disguise, but even he had to specify some boundaries emerged from common sense. Plus having an immense ego and an equally sized pride made at least half of the people look like idiots.

But when Toshiro met a young woman with black hair and dark blue eyes, his opinion over what Aizen might consider _appropriate_ shifted.

The woman came into his office, since it was his turn to hear testimonies and judge which could be true and which had absolutely no chance of being true. She was quite gorgeous, but that didn't attract his attention. However, what made him curious was her peculiar behavior. Unlike his previous, so called, witnesses she seemed awfully quiet and maybe a little scared.

"Umm -" she began with a stammering "I apologize f-f-for disturbing you" she looked around, noticing the room's only inhabitant.

"Doesn't matter" said Toshiro with a bored tone. His lack of enthusiasm was not helping the already-reticent woman. "Where are you from?"

She moved her support on the other leg and scratched her ear, a clear sign of embarrassment. She was definitely not the type to talk a lot, even with individuals she had already met, and being put face to face with a Captain, a resentful Captain nonetheless, gradually diminished her almost nonexistent enthusiasm and increased her fears.

"Karakura"

Her answer brought a frown on Toshiro's face, but he fought it back, because he didn't want to scare -at least more than he already had- a potential source of information.

"Complete this form" he handed her a piece of paper.

Her eyes scanned the paper, getting over the banal questions like _What's your name_, _age_ and blah blah very fast and stopping, accompanied by a soft gasp, on something she did not expect to see in that form.

"My former occupation?" she said loudly. Her cheeks caught fire instantly "Well … I prefer not to say for the moment. I'm terribly sorry Mr. Captain, but I'm not proud of my past and I wanna keep it hidden at least for now.**"**

He didn't have to think too much to uncover the only two possible jobs that could make one uncomfortable.

"I see" stated Toshiro calmly "Then leave it blank"

Her lips tightened in a straight line. She took a pen and began to write.

Only the soft noise of the pen scratching the thin piece of paper could be heard over the monotonous silence filling the room. Toshiro stared into space, hoping she would be done soon, so he could go back to meditating upon the situation.

Though only thinking of everything which had happened, or more like didn't happen, between him and Karin made him nauseous. It was no secret she had distanced herself from him in the last 4 months, but the cut had been too abrupt and painful. This didn't remain unnoticed, Ichigo being the first to rub it in his face, while Momo calmed his ego with kind words, which did nothing but accelerate his ache.

He had expected her to go on with her life, and not even once dared to judge her decision to do so, yet something about it didn't make sense. Knowing her changing disposition, he suspected a man was behind it and _yes_, it bothered him a lot more than it should have, however his worries were not tamed down. What made him uneasy about all this mess was actually Karin's peculiar behavior.

Toshiro trusted his instincts as much as he trusted his brain. They were after all two of his most valuable assets. So when Karin had begun to show subtle signs of changing her mannerism, he saw the danger; couldn't know from where it might come, but just hoped it won't be from her.

With every day passing by, her eyes became colder, her mind sharpened its edges, her expression gained mystery and power. And just like that, after a month, she had metamorphosed into someone stronger, someone he no longer recognizes. Toshiro tried to blame it on what people called _maturing_, although maturing is one thing and going through a complete change of personality is another.

"Mr. Captain" came the woman's husky voice "I've completed the form. Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"No" he said too fast, without even looking at her "We will contact you after we check the perimeter"

A white lie, Karakura had been checked and rechecked thousands of times by him and his team as well as other Shinigami patrolling the area; and nothing was found.

She placed the paper on the desk and walked to the door, halting for a second in front of it. A sharp noise of teeth colliding with teeth echoed in the room as her hand clenched the handle.

"I know I'm too late and far from trustworthy; and maybe the man had already left Karakura, but he -" her voice cracked, flooded by a terror she had felt only in the moment of her death"-he was after someone. He said she is _the sister of his enemy_ and -"

"And?"

"He said he _wants_ her."

Toshiro frowned again. For him, this was another dead end. Aizen was not the type to lust after someone, especially if that someone was a human, but maybe nobody aroused his interest that much in Soul Society. He was a complex individual was possessed lots and lots of inexplicable traits.

Without loosing his cool, Toshiro read all that was written on the piece of paper, starting from the top and ending at the bottom.

Even if the whole story seemed a little supernatural, it was one fact that didn't stop from bugging him when he read _her_ Aizen's appearance. All other people said Aizen looked the same, but she said he was different, not by much but definitely different. Red headed, younger, with another haircut and no curl. The things which defined him and made him noticeable were gone from his description. Almost like he tried to blend in the crowd and loose his identity between so many others. Something Aizen would definitely do in order to preserve his identity hidden.

Her testimony was perfect, yet contradicted his perception of what Aizen would do. It was plain confusing.

"What was the name of the girl he said he was planning to kill?" Toshiro inquired, giving her another chance to prove she was indeed talking about Aizen and not some other madman.

"I cannot remember. If I hear it again I will definitely recognize it, but right now – it just slips from my mind"

"I will talk with The Supreme Captain and we will investigate. Now please tell the next one, if there is a next one, to enter and shut the door on your way out" he said, then proceeded in finishing his paperwork.

The coldness in his tone slapped her across the face. She had expected to be believed after all that, yet Toshiro still believed she was bending the truth. Not wanting to give up on her one and only opportunity to revenge her death and, if possible, save another's life, the woman continued to speak her mind.

"He killed me with a … I cannot even remember his weapon. Just the words and the atrocious pain piercing my chest right here" her hand covered her heart as her eyes made contact with his turquoise orbs. She continued to talk almost like she couldn't stop from spilling her heart in front of him "He told me I was useless and that he'll break her strong spirit; the ones he was angry at."

Toshiro's pen halted on the paper.

"He was merciless, like a monster – smiling the whole time. I-" Toshiro could swear he saw tiny drops of sweat forming on her temples "-I cannot put it into words, but that man was definitely not _human_"

This time Toshiro raised his head from his work. He could feel his hands tremble.

'_I think we had found him_'

"I need all the details of your encounter with him. Start from the beginning" he commanded. But just as her lips parted in a desperate manner, he gave a low grunt with his eyes still fixed on her "The one he was planning to kill might still be in danger, though I'm pretty sure she had been killed just like you, but we need to find her as well, so please leave your pride behind. Neither me, nor the ones I work with care what you've done in your previous life. We need to find Aizen. Help up bring back the man responsible for your death"

For one second his vision blurred and the woman noticed the dark circles surrounding his eyes. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, and then opened her mouth releasing a loud grunt.

"We need to find him, or there will be others just like you" encouraged Toshiro.

"Very well. I will tell you what happened that day."

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Toshiro ran from the building like his feet were on fire, not looking left or right, just running and running straight toward the white building of the 1-st Division. His eyes could barely distinguish the forms of his colleagues and his subordinates as he ran by them. He could hear many salutes coming from around him, strictly directed at his person; in a corner of his mind he knew this will be perceived as lack of respect on his part, but it was soon taken over by his desire to reach his destination.

His maddening dash didn't stop until the toes of his feet hit the barrier raised around the 1-st Squad. That was the moment when it all came down. The information was old and the woman had been killed over 7 months ago. Maybe Aizen had moved from Karakura.

His -usually- kind features were twisted into a scowl as he walked slowly into the Captain's large Office. If his theory, a theory he had built on his way to the 1-st Squad, was correct or was even close to Aizen's true intentions, he feared for his human friend. What he could do in that moment was to convince The Supreme Captain of the truth; a truth not so bright, but probable.

"Captain Hitsugaya" saluted the old man, indifferent to Toshiro's obvious anxiety.

And yet he hoped with all his might for his convictions to be wrong, because if he was indeed right, there were aspects he could not dare to uncover; like what Aizen had in store for his enemy's sister. And from here on it was up to his imagination.

"Captain Commander" it took all his self-control to stop his voice from cracking, still his turquoise eyes mirrored his inner workings.

"I've just received an informant" his lips trembled "regarding Aizen"

"And he's the tenth this month. I had enough with it already" stated the man while stacking a paper over one of the piles.

"I believe this one is genuine"

Yamamoto slightly parted his eyelids.

"Really?"

If he didn't know his superior well enough, Toshiro could swear the old man was using irony in his speech, but judging his personality, he was definitely too stuck up to do such a thing.

Trying to calm his raging nerves, the boy took a deep breath and began to talk, his voice shaking with both excitement and fear, even though Yamamoto seemed somewhat disappointed of what he was hearing. Toshiro highlighted the killer's cruelty, drawing a parallel between how Aizen used to be and the resemblance he held with this individual _human_.

Using as many adjectives as possible in order to paint the actions as they took place, or as the woman had told him, Toshiro lost himself in a bunch of useless details. Judging Yamamoto's face, he could say with certainty that he had lost the fight. Trying to give as many details as his memory had withstood to remember didn't work out for him and maybe his desperation played a part in it as well.

"I suppose you _do_ have a theory Captain Hitsugaya" insisted the Supreme Captain.

"Yes. Even if I had little time to think about it, in detail at least, because this information came to my ears barely ten minutes ago, I think Aizen had really been in Karakura and might still be there." Yamamoto looked even less impressed. Gin had informed him about this 3 month ago when he felt Aizen's reiatsu in Karakura "I know it doesn't give us much to go on, but there is also the part with the sister of his enemy which can help up narrow our search. We should not ignore what might be our only clue."

"I'm not aware of anyone having _sisters_ around here" thundered his voice "Apart from you -" he didn't get to finish his phrase.

"Kurosaki Ichigo has two sisters, two twin sisters to be precise" interrupted Toshiro "And, if you don't mind, I've taken the liberty of requesting Kurosaki's presence here as soon as possible." He could almost smell the apprehension oozing from the other Shinigami "He'll be here shortly as I've been informed by my subordinates"

A frown found its way between the man's furry eyebrows.

"Very well, I want to get this over with _very_ fast" coughed Yamamoto, carefully accentuating every word, each being accompanied by a well-hidden thereat.

After two minutes of uncomfortable silence, during which Toshiro took a straight pose and checked out the bookshelf for any possible source of direction, Ichigo barged in without sparing Toshiro even the slightest glance. His astronomical impoliteness toward Soul Society's authorities continued to show as he addressed the Supreme Captain.

"Why did you call me old man?"

"I was not the one to summon you, Kurosaki Ichigo" answered the man, somehow used to Ichigo's rude, yet cordial behavior.

"I was" stated Toshiro calmly "and before you begin to bark, I do have a good reason"

"I sure hope so" whined Ichigo.

Toshiro cracked his knuckles by clenching his fist.

"It's about Aizen. We have received information suggesting that Aizen might have had contact with one of his enemy's sister" his voice plain and void of any emotion.

He and Ichigo had gone past the _I'm-upset-at-you-for-something-you-did,_ and directly into pure hatred.

The Substitute Shinigami seemed unimpressed. No matter what the chibi Captain decide to say, he was just standing there listening to it like it was not his business. As Toshiro continued to suggest, not in so many words, that his sisters might be involved in this mess, Ichigo counterattacked quite violently.

"This is absurd. Both Yuzu and Karin are home, safe and sound, and trust me; I and my father would have noticed if either of them came in contact with Aizen. There is no one out there-" he pointed at the window, through which Soul Society was spreading its white towers "-who knows Aizen's reiatsu and presence more than I do, especially if it's under my nose."

Toshiro looked displeased.

"You know very well that that what you're saying is a false presumption and your deduction might be just as wrong. As much as I would like to agree with you I _do not_, because, unlike someone else, I use my good sense to judge what is good for my friends and family"

Ichigo snarled. Without his knowledge, Toshiro had struck a cord in the human hybrid and Ichigo was planning to get back at him with his entire arsenal.

"Like you've done with Hinamori. I've seen how good that ended up for her"

Toshiro saw flashes of red over his vision

"Calm down" commanded Yamamoto, sensing the dangerous direction this discussion was going to take "Whatever you two have to share do it elsewhere. I don't need drama in my office."

Both Shinigami weren't even remotely thankful for the interruption, but the hard glares thrown at them by their superior seemed to have some kind of effect, as they calmed down.

"Very well. Then I'll call Yuzu and ask her. Is that good enough for you _Captain Hitsugaya,_ or do you need me to call someone else?"

His mocking tone angered Toshiro even more, but a soft tug of reiatsu coming form Yamamoto stopped him from drilling his fist directly into Ichigo's impertinent expression. It was almost like Ichigo was forcing him to say something. '_He wants me to say Karin …._' Toshiro realized.

"Just call her."

The two waited patiently, until Ichigo found his phone. Toshiro didn't ask how in the name of heavens was he able to transport a material object into the Spirit World, but when he saw the ancient design of the telephone-like bulk device all Shinigami were forced to carry around in case something happened to SS, he deduced he was using one of Urahara's many inventions.

He pressed the object to his ear and waited a moment.

"Jesus Christ. This thing is worse than … I cannot find any modern technology capable to compare with this shit"

Finally his smile widened as he seemed to get some sort of connection with her sister's phone, only for a soft melody to reverberate in the room.

"…"

Toshiro gave a low grunt and Ichigo sunk his hand into his left pocket and grabbed Yuzu's phone.

"I see you've managed to sneak in your sister's phone"

"That I can hear and see. Thank you very much" remarked Ichigo, rolling his eyes.

"Call Karin" he said in a commending tone, which didn't leave much space for contradiction.

"Now" completed Yamamoto, who was on the verge of setting the building on fire.

"Very well, but I'll do it from Yuzu's phone. I don't want to see this junk ever again" said Ichigo begrudgingly pointing at Urahara's phone-like device while flipping the phone open and waiting for the tone to come "I sure hope this thing works in the Spirit World"

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Aizen saw the screen light up and the name _Yuzu_ blink underneath the picture of a smiling Yuzu. He could never understand why people felt the need to creature such useless devices with hundreds of fancy interfaces and time-consuming games, but which held the same functionality as a Soul-Society-phone. The screen blackened back into standby, but came back to life a second later.

Aizen looked at Karin, who was busy giving _precious_ information to an inattentive Tony, then back at the phone. Judging Karin's face, black with anger and twisted into a peculiar scowl, he decided it would be better for him, as well as for his teammates, to let Karin finish her speech before interrupting her with baubles.

He answered the phone and with a bored voice, said

"Hello Kurosaki-san. Unfortunately Karin is quite busy at the moment with the soccer practice. Do you want me to tell her something after she's finished?"

Only silence came as a response.

"Kurosaki-san" he repeated kindly, hiding his growing impatience.

Before being tempted to close it and wait for Yuzu to call back, Aizen received an answer, but not the one he had expected and definitely not from the one he had expected.

"A-AIZEN!" he heard the raspy voice of Ichigo Kurosaki, breathing fire right into his year.

"Oh-" a smirk found its way on his face "What a pleasure to hear you again _Ryoka-boy_"

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So for those who don't remember: that woman was killed by Aizen at the end of chapter 14.

Many of you requested a lemon. Okay … fist of all I have no experience in this field, neither physical nor in terms of writing – to be exact I'm a prude – I might write a short lemon (I have an interesting idea …) but as a different story, probably one-shot and when/if I do I'll announce you through an author note.

Okay … so this will be an awful year. Being my last I have to be careful because failing my exams now means no other way of passing them this year and I cannot get a diploma if I fail exams … and let's not forget about my final BIG exam … the result of 3 long years of studying in this damn university. Plus I have my tutoring and an internship program. So rare updates … but I'll try to keep them once a month.

So tell me … what do you think will happen next?


	26. Tears of silence

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

**This chapter has been Betaed by Szayel's Angel! Thank you very very very much!**

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 26: Tears of silence **

"_I love you …" He told me once, whispering against my ear in the middle of the night, when passion burned over us, enveloping us in its shining flames._

_If I could respond to him now I would tell him that … people who love each other don't hold secrets and don't lie._

_I hate you for making me like this. I hate you for what you did to me. I hate how you made me love a little harder, made me trust a little deeper, and made my life a little brighter. I hate how I have to lie to my family because I cannot tell them our secret. I hate everything._

_I cannot share my emptiness. I can only stare at Ichigo, father and Yuzu and pray they won't find out._

_Yet loving him was like … heaven: something I wish I had never experienced, but desire to have over and over again."_

Kurosaki Karin's diary

"_Long black eyelashes, dazzling smile, volcanic temperament._

_Can anyone blame me for desiring her? Can anyone blame a god for looking down at a mortal with something other than superiority and disgust?_

_Such a strong and radiant creature deserves to be idolised by all her fellow humans, yet they could not see her as I had. They could not decipher her eyes the way I had. They just could not, so I did it for them._

_It would be a lie to say I didn't care for that girl … in my own twisted way maybe I did."_

Aizen Sousuke's diary

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Toshiro was frozen on the spot and, while the Supreme Captain was maintaining the drama by opening his eyes in slow-motion, Ichigo was swearing obscenities in the telephone. Only someone capable enough to decipher the mood, like Toshiro, could actually notice Kurosaki Ichigo's obvious distress. He was certainly scared out of his mind. Not for his safety, but for that of his little sister.

Suddenly the human hybrid stopped from talking and became white like marble. His hand trembled on the phone, lips being drawn in a straight line. After what seemed like an eternity he managed to whisper a husky "Karin" then his voice cracked "Karin, please get out of there."

"Stall her as much as you can" said Toshiro regaining his good sense.

Toshiro lunged into a shunpo, while Ichigo continued to convince his sister of the harm she was on the verge of receiving.

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"Oh-" a smirk found its way on his face "What a pleasure to hear you again Ryoka-boy"

It didn't come as a surprise when Ichigo began to run off at the mouth like there was no tomorrow. He had always been an impulsive child, so pretending for it to be out of the common would have been rather ridiculous.

Suddenly Karin stepped into the hall, with Tony hot on her trail.

"Samaki. What are you -" she inquired, stopping mid sentence and throwing a pointed glare at Tony.

"It's your dear Kurosaki brother. He wants to speak with you."

Tony shrugged and turned around, going back in the field's direction.

Noticing the awkward expression Aizen had plastered on his face, Karin took the phone, but her attention remained solely on her companion. Even after the phone had been transferred in her hand and the usual hello was said, she still couldn't stop something resembling fear from arising in her being.

Aizen took a seat on the bench and watched the scene half amused, half reluctant. What was about to happen in the near future was sure to change a lot of things, starting with his current location, as well as his relationship with the dark haired twin he had grown accustomed to have around. He saw her eyes widening and then making contact with his.

"Ichigo … what are you talking about? Why should I get out of here?" she raised an ironic eyebrow at Aizen "What have you told my brother Samaki that it scared him so much? I bet it was one of your bad jokes."

It took all the safe control in the world for Aizen not to shake the walls with his laughter. In the end he managed with a simple cruel chuckle.

"Okay Ichigo what is all this about?" she continued, throwing a glare at Aizen "And why are you calling me from Yuzu's phone? Don't tell me you've forgotten yours at home again. It's th-"

A heavy pause followed. Karin looked just as bored as before, eying her lover every two seconds with a desperation which said quite clearly she was not in the mood for her brother's speeches.

"No seriously Ichigo. Just say what you have to say and let me go back to my team. Contrary to your beliefs I don't have time to spare on your senseless babbling."

'_I'm not babbling!_' a scream could be heard from the phone.

Karin stretched her hand getting the phone far away, protecting her ear from being harmed by the corrosive sound. After the sound faded and nothing could be heard coming out of the phone, Karin dared to bring it back to its original position.

"Yeah, you're not babbling Ichi-nii. Now tell me what you want or I'm closing the phone in this instant"

A dark murmur echoed, but Aizen could not distinguish the words said, yet he had a pretty good idea of what Karin was experiencing. After all there was no way in hell Ichigo was going to let his sister remain uninformed, though he had been pretty reluctant at sharing his knowledge with her before; one of the things Aizen blamed his archenemy from not doing properly.

Because of the kido he had forced upon Karin, Aizen had been able to hear everything she had heard. A little stalkerish, but it proved to be quite efficient, especially since she was living in a Shinigami-rich environment, and it was the perfect tool for jealous lovers like himself. Still Karin remained faithful to him. In all ways; nothing surprising there.

In the back of the mind, Aizen wondered how they found out about him and Karin. After all his voice was special, but not that hard to be mistaken for another's. It was almost like Ichigo expected him to answer. No. It was like him answering had been one of the many possible options. From wherever the information had come, it was not from a citizen of Karakura; he was sure of that. At least … not alive.

His mind raced back in a distant past, eight months ago, in a bizarre night at the beginning of November. The night he had lost control over his senses and committed cold blooded murder. The night his relationship with Karin shattered beyond repair –or so he thought at that time- Yes; he remembered that night all right, with all its flaws and pleasures.

As Karin's expression changed from amazement to terror, he smirked. He surely didn't have to activate his kido in order to hear what Ichigo was telling her; he could read it right off her face. One second … two seconds of silence from both sides proved his point. She knew his identity and even knew what he had done to Karakura and Soul Society. Seeing ghosts had probably made her skeptical about what appeared on the news as explanation for the Karakura blackout.

Her eyes lost focus, withdrawing behind a curtain of pain mixed with anger. She let her emotions show, but tried to keep them in check at the same time. Watching as she fought with herself proved to be less pleasurable than expected, Aizen concluded darkly.

Barely finding the courage to respond, Karin managed to stutter a "Thanks bro"

'_Karin! Don't hang up. I need y-_' heard Karin before she clasped the phone shut.

Time halted its irreversible flow while everything seemed to slow down.

Her fingers clenching the phone in a death grip, his apparently relaxed posture, her eyes staring aimlessly at the wall, her soft breaths coming in and out at regular intervals of time. All portrayed a static picture of painful silence.

Neither knew how much time had passed since the phone call and neither wanted to break the awkwardness surrounding them in dense fog. Somehow Aizen dared to think she had expected this to happen. She was, after all, as spontaneous as one can be. When Kurosaki Karin was involved in an equation a classic solution couldn't solve it. Aizen knew that first hand.

Finally the phone slipped between her fingers, disintegrating in small pieces as it hit the floor. The bang resound like a thunder in the closed space, travelling down the hall then hitting the opposite wall and coming back as an echo.

The battery glided in his direction, stopping mere centimeters from his foot.

"This is so fucked up" mumbled Karin "So" she slammed her fist in the wall "fucking" slam "fucked up"

"Hm" grunted Aizen "Why so?"

Karin raised her eyes, confusing his senses with her dark glare. Her lips curled up subtly.

"How should I know Aizen Sousuke-sama? You are the smart one aren't you?"

He didn't answer, just studied her angular features, thinking of the effect the news had on her. Either she was in shock and unable to process the mess she was into, or she was hiding it like a professional liar. Judging her blurry eyes he deduced it was the second choice.

"Yes. I am." He smirked and she cringed.

Pain slipped through her shell, spreading over her face, cracking the last drop of self control she had left. She was as strong as always, keeping it bottled up inside, but this time she could not do it properly.

She just wanted to sink on her knees and cry her eyes, her heart out and never rise from there ever again. All she desired in that moment was to sleep for a while and forget all her memories in a corner like there was no tomorrow; like today was just an anonymous day from a multitude of weeks, months, years, decades … centuries. Yet she knew that spilling even one tear could throw her on her knees at his feet and that … she could not do. Neither her pride, nor the little faith she had left in herself could let her precious pride take such a painful blow.

Sometimes Aizen wondered if the only thing keeping Karin straight up was the undying hope in her pride.

"Now I'm getting jealous." interrupted Aizen, approaching her like a predator "Who's good enough to hold your attention for so long" he kissed her earlobe "I hope you're thinking of me right now, or I'll be really mad and I don't think either of us wants that to happen, do we?" His hands found her tiny waist and began to massage her hips.

He pushed her against the wall, not roughly, but demanding her attention, when someone landed behind him and a sword appeared at his throat. Karin couldn't even blink before the body once obstructing her freedom fell on the ground like a rock … right at her feet.

She felt something sticky dripping from her hair. Her hand shot up and she took a sample from the strange substance between her thumb and the middle finger. The watery red liquid, with a slightly iron odor reminded Karin of her father's clinic; the smell recalled of the days spent on the soccer field wrapping wounds in dirty old sheets she had snuck out the house. Her breath became erratic as realization hit. Blood. It was red fresh, wet blood painting her face in a crimson shade. The blood of her lover who's neck had been sliced in front of her.

"Karin! Are you okay?" asked someone slightly familiar. She soon recognized Matsumoto's big rack cutting off her air supply.

She didn't struggle. Just stood there and took it all in silence. How could she say anything, with all that blood over her face making her dizzy with nausea.

"Karin? Did he try to do something to you?" continued Matsumoto to calmly inquire Karin.

The girl was in shock. She wanted to scream in pain, but her lips were shut tight in a straight line. How could she be okay? She had just witnessed a crime. How could anyone be okay after something as traumatizing as seeing someone die in front of your eyes and staying there frozen like a useless piece of junk?

Matsumoto twisted her face in a frown and grabbed Karin's right hand, then dragged her towards the exit.

"Thank you Lieutenant Matsumoto." echoed a voice from above "I was waiting for someone to get me out of that vicious body, but I must confess I didn't expect someone as weak as you to be able to do it for me. I presume you will do just fine."

Karin didn't dare to look above, fearing she will see his blood stained face. Then suddenly Matsumoto's grip on her wrist loosened then disappeared completely. She heard a slash, something resembling the sound of a butcher's knife cutting trough a cow's fresh meat. A soft cry reached her ears, before a thud made her turn around.

The sight welcoming her turned her stomach upside down. She clutched her belly.

It was Matsumoto, spread on the floor blood dripping from her sliced back and further back it was Aizen staring into space with his neck cut open.

Karin stared mesmerized at the body once belonging to her lover. She knew that body like the back of her hand yet she had never dared to venture closer to its kernel. She had never thought it would be necessary to go that far to know him, to be with him, to love him, just a superficial inspection was supposed to be enough.

A cold palm touched her neck from behind, spiking against her skin. No matter who was behind her, Karin was sure of one thing: it was very strong, stronger than any Shinigami she had ever met. A mysterious energy spiked against her own in a threatening manner asserting her of its supremacy.

"What are you thinking Karin?" a well-known deep voice echoed against the shell of her ear.

There was no way she could ever forget that smooth, yet frightening voice. She had heard it thousands of times before and her heart had hoped she would hear it from here on, but due to the recent events there was a small chance of escaping from this mess just a little ravished or even alive.

"Cat ate your tongue?" asked Aizen, before grabbing her neck and turning her around to face him.

What he saw in those eyes, unnerved him like nothing ever did. He had expected fear, hate, tears, anger maybe, something a human should feel under the weight of such horrible news, but in her eyes only disappointment was reflected and nothing else. It reminded him of the first time they had that altercation in the computer science laboratory. It reminded him of how unconventional she was, it reminded him why he saw her as an equal even with the difference to their age, experience, knowledge, power, reiatsu; he was clearly above her. It reminded him why she had fascinated him, and why it will continue to for as long as he existed.

"You are … old" said the girl calmly, almost like nothing had happened, mask back in place.

He won't break her, even if he was the one responsible for doing that to Matsumoto, who was after all a lieutenant of Gotei 13, the elite of Soul Society.

However, when his nails dug in the soft skin of her neck, just above a love sign he had left the previous day, Karin's eyes flinched in anger.

"What do you want from me?" her voice cracking with every word escaping from her lips "You want me to cry in anguish, you want me to beg for you to stay? You want to hear me screaming at the sky for this to be a dream?" his eyes remained impassive, studying her reactions with cold control "It's a fucking nightmare, but I know it's real. I knew it all along, but I just didn't want to admit it."

Aizen seemed to reflect for a moment and then hastily move his other hand at the back of her neck, urging her to come closer to him. Being taken by surprise Karin braced herself against his hips, stopping her body, but not before Aizen leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently.

The situation seemed to have come out of a bad-written story and was rather ridiculous, yet Karin felt her insides melting in a puddle at his romantic gesture. Maybe all that happened in the last 2 minutes was a joke; her brother played a prank on her for not telling him of her affair with the red-headed hunk. Karin wanted to believe that with desperation. But then again Matsumoto coming there and destroying his material body, forcing him outside of it, then being punished by his sword must had been her imagination. And she knew her imagination was not that realistic in painting details.

"What could I possibly want from you, Kurosaki? Hm?" his lips following the trail of her cheek "I wonder …."

Karin's thoughts faltered. She raised her hand to slap him across the face like he deserved, but soon realized she was unable to move. Her muscles seemed to be paralyzed, controlled by an unknown force.

Aizen grabbed her chin and forced his lips on hers.

She whimpered, incapable to resist him, yet unable to move. Her body was shutting down, while her mind froze up.

'_Move_' she commanded mentally to her unresponsive senses '_Jesus Christ move you damn material thing_' he caught her bottom lip between his and began to lick it '_Arghhh_' she felt like screaming '_Get away fr-_'

"Get away from her" commanded a voice harsh definitely belonging to a woman she had previously met; Karin just couldn't make a connection between a face and the voice she had just heard

"Let her go this instant" the voice repeated coolly.

Karin rolled her iris at the corner of her eyes.

At the same time Aizen let her go from his grip and faced a young girl with black hair tied in a bun at the back of the head. Her shaking hands were gripping the red hilt of a slender sword, but her eyes burned with hidden rage and pain. Karin could easily deduce the trembling didn't come from fear but from sheer anticipation.

"Well. This is rather surprising Hinamori-kun" he took a step forward, his sword still sheltered.

The girl didn't answer, settling to frown, her eyes sharp like the edge of the sword she was pointing at her enemy.

Malice glittered in Aizen's eyes and Karin saw it, clearly like the morning sky. Trying to move proved to be useless as her body remained rigid against her better wishes. Her reiatsu spiked, praying someone will sense it, preferably someone strong enough to defeat the madman. She watched helplessly while Toshiro's sister prepared for battle.

Hinamori ventured forward, but her weapon struck air. She spun around, yet something unexpected happened; her sword came in contact with something soft.

"Wha-" mumbled Momo, her eyes mirroring a mixture of anger and confusing pain "How?"

Aizen's fingers, now positioned on her blade, encircled the cold metal. It didn't take more than 2 seconds for the sword to crack from one side to the other and another 3 seconds to break in his palm like it was bread paste.

Hinamori looked as stunned as Karin felt, but she didn't have enough time to blink as Aizen's sword slashed the woman across the chest. Unlike Matsumoto, she didn't let any sound escape, probably trying to show braveness or maybe being too shocked to react; she just collapsed at Aizen's feet in total silence.

For the third time that evening, Karin experienced the total helplessness of a human being. She couldn't believe her eyes. With all the stories she had heard from her brother about how powerful and evil Aizen was, she still couldn't put an equal sign between him and her lover.

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Aizen's steps, coming closer and closer. For some unknown reason, Karin was neither afraid nor angry. No. What she felt was actually akin to disappointment, yet held a subtle shade of lust.

Just standing there and studying everything like it was as normal as the sun rising from East gave him a peculiar tint of overconfident beauty; a cruel beauty, but beauty nonetheless. He was after all the perfect image of impertinence, power and merciless desire for more, but had that inhuman perfection only he could master. Seeing him in his Spirit Form gave Karin the annoying impression of watching, not a human being, not a Shinigami and definitely not a Hollow, but someone transcending all she had known. It was what people called Gods.

Her eyes widened in amazement. It all came down on her like the pure water washing away the dirt and leaving behind a clear image; Aizen's behavior, his eyes, the repeated refusal of meeting her family, the choice of keeping Yuzu close by and finally, her … her being her lover. She cursed herself for not deducting all this earlier, when her brother screamed atrocities at her for not being more understanding. Maybe she would have looked less like a fool in front of Aizen.

"Hm. How much are you going to keep daydreaming in my presence?" remarked Aizen coolly, yet his tone swayed between amusement and anger.

"You've always had the most despicable temper." stated Karin just as calmly, ignoring his previous question "But at least now I know why."

Her eyes rested on the pools of blood spreading around the two barely conscious Shinigami; Momo's eyes made contact with hers for a brief second, then she fainted, her eyes becoming two voids of a black sea.

"So what happens now? We wait for Ichigo to come and then make a drama scene of how you've betrayed me and how much I hate you? I think we both know this ain't my style." Aizen raised an eyebrow, but agreed with a nod "Or maybe you'll stab me right here right now and never bother with me ever again."

"That's an idea" he smirked.

His index finger caressed her cheek, carefully going up and down in a slow motion. Suddenly his eye snapped up, peering at the sky.

"I'll go now. No matter how much I want to meet your brother and show him the true meaning of kneeling in front of a God, I'll have to say pass for now."

Karin didn't say anything, just glared viciously.

"Goodbye Karin" he pressed a soft kiss on her temple in one last romantic gesture; though a redundant one "It was fun while it lasted."

This time Karin didn't plan on censoring her vocabulary, but when she was on the verge of presenting her whole swearing artillery, something sharp hit her at the back of the head releasing a loud scream from her mouth. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head and her vision blurred slowly. It came to her that these might be her last couple of second, but blacked out even before she hit the ground.

When Toshiro arrived at the scene he found the massacre left behind be Aizen.

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"_Karin" a rich voice whispered in Karin's ear "Karin" he repeated, this time holding a dark intent and somewhat deeper "You need to wake up. Though it's definitely not the right time to see me" her eyelids fluttered and the smooth surface of a palm descended upon her eyes, covering them "I'm confident you will become strong enough, but right now you need to heal your wounds. You'll get over this." Burning lips pressed against her cheek "Be strong Karin; be strong for your god, be courageous for me."_

Karin's eyes snapped open, but it was too late. The voice was gone along with the sensation of protection it left on her skin. Taking deep breaths, she managed to calm her nerves and observe her surroundings.

On a table, situated near her bed, was a bluish vase with a fully bloomed white rose in it. An aqua colored ribbon was wrapped around it and Karin wandered who left it there. Though the plant was the most beautiful specimen she had ever seen, the sheer presence of that flower left Karin with a bitter taste hanging in her mouth. Not only because it reminded her of Aizen, albeit that was one of the reasons, but also because of what it represented: pureness and love. Two of the things she did not have to give. She had stopped being pure when she decided to share a bed with Aizen and her love was lost forever, for any man.

Something pinched her neck. She managed to move a hand and check it out. There was nothing there, no wound, no bandage, just skin. Yet she could still feel the cold blade slicing her skin; somehow she knew something had definitely been there.

Then she hugged her legs and let her chin rest on them, heavy eyelids sheltering pain-filled eyes.

The white walls and metallic bed, as well as the annoying odor of chlorine made her cringe in disgust. How she hated hospitals …

"Karin" Yuzu slammed the door open and dashed in like a hurricane "Karin! Are you okay?"

"Yeah" she gave her answer in a low whisper.

Yuzu smiled brightly "I was so afraid! After you've blacked out Ichi-nii brought you here fearing you had a contusion or something, but doctor Ishida said you had no injury apart from a small bruise on your knee from your soccer game."

Karin smiled back at her, hiding every last drop of suffering she felt "I'm okay Yuzu. I just need a moment to rest."

Yuzu nodded. "I know" a shadow covered her eyes "Papa told me Aizen had this fancy almost undetectable kido put on us, but that tall black haired Shinigami removed it"

"Byakuya?"

"Yes. Mr. Kuchiki-san"

Karin unwrapped her hands from around her legs and let the upper part of her body fall back on the bed.

"Yuzu …" the girl raised her head "I'll go to sleep now if you don't mind."

"Of course not" Yuzu gave a soft smile, patting her shoulder "I'll sneak in chocolate next time I come, 'cause I know how much you love it."

"Thanks sis. You know me so well …"

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Yuzu visited her the next day and so did her father and Ichigo. Toshiro came only once, bringing with him a beautiful daisy. Nobody asked her anything and for once she was glad they were smoothing her in their care. It didn't make her uncomfortable like it did in the past; actually it left her warm and fuzzy inside to know she had someone who _really_ cared for. She needed that so desperately.

During the day the situation was bearable, with Ichigo and Yuzu as company nothing could make her sad, but at night memories came back rushing inside her brain. The first night she managed to keep her courage in check and didn't cry, just moaned in the pillow like a 5 year old that had lost her favorite toy. But the following night the situation got worse and tears leaked at the corner of her eyes. Still, with all that pain, the only thing she could think of was how she thanked god she was in the hospital where nobody could see her crying.

However she was soon discharged by Ishida's father and came back to her house.

The nightmare continued to follow her even after her recuperation.

A long, painful week had passed since the dreadful experience and Karin still thought at least twice a day of what would have happened if Aizen had been an actual human being. A flesh and blood creature, walking, talking, feeling, dying … She found it rather ironic that from all the places for Aizen to leave her, it happened to be a near a soccer field. Where it started, it also ended.

Thankfully nobody inquired upon what happened between her and Aizen, though she was sure Momo had told them what she'd witnessed that cursed morning. She thanked all the Gods they didn't question her because there was no way in hell her façade was strong enough to resist an interrogatory. What she didn't know was that neither Matsumoto, nor Momo had woken up from their extensive injuries.

'_Goodbye Karin. It had been fun_'

He said like everything had been fun, just fun. It hurt like nothing did. It rammed her from inside out. It shattered her hope, her life, her love.

One night, when tears wouldn't stop falling, she hid herself in the bathroom and laid on the floor, kissing it with her cheek. The ring he gave her was burning on her finger, being a constant reminder of what it had been and could have been.

ALYK the acronym for Aizen loves you Karin. What a joke. What a lie.

"I loved you, you son of the bitch" she cried into the carpet, muffling her voice fearing her family will hear "and now I-I can't feel anything; anything at all."

'_I'm empty_'

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**Omake** (Karin at a Bleach press conference):

"Karin-san" asked a random reporter "What do you think about Aizen-sama's curl?"

"Aizen has a curl?" responded the girl, as she goggled at the young woman "I had no idea. Do you happen to have a photo?"

The woman dug into the little bag she carried hanged by her shoulder. After a while, she found a piece of paper folded in two. When Karin made a sudden gesture of impatience, the woman handed the paper to her, keeping a wide distance between her and the black haired Kurosaki.

"I think all keep it" said the girl, after checking out the tall figure represented in the picture.

"What for?"

Smirking like a devil, Karin fluttered the white hand holding the photo before the spectators, earning a strange look from them.

"Blackmail" she confirmed.

"I should have known" mumbled the woman.

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Seriously all this melodrama screamed for an omake.

I've just realized I wrote the first part from Karin's pov, but seeing the action through her eyes was maintaining the drama better than a simple stating of facts (Since half of the time she had no idea what was really happening)

So … I have a part-time job and projects/tests/exams at school and … LIFE. So sorry for the awfully written chapter, but seriously I barely have time to breath. I will apologize to the ones I didn't get to reply to. I loved all the reviews.

**Very important** (zellie15 gave me this idea) However wants to help me (that means writing lemon mini-drafts) with my future Airin lemon, can send a message containing it to my account. For those of you who don't have a FF account, I've posted a link on my profile (of my tumblr account) where you can send me anonymous messages. What I'm really asking is for you to help me write it. As I said I'm no pro at writing sexual intercourse, so any kind of help is welcomed.


	27. Tears of pain

**I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.**

**This chapter has been Betaed by Szayel's Angel! Thank you very very very much!**

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 27: Tears of pain**

"_I'm not a child … I told Ichigo a long time ago. I am not a child and I do not need your protection anymore. Stop! Stop strangling my freedom! Stop cutting my wings from roots! Just stop it, because it hurts too much!_

_And he stopped … he let me go, he released me from the cage he had kept me hidden from the world along with Yuzu. He did it knowing that I'll be careful, that I won't stumble and I won't falter in my way. Even if I did neither of them, my path had been altered by an implicit destiny, a cruel destiny which made one sole purpose from me: to destroy me, to break me until it was nothing left, but ash._

_My destiny threw me into his opened arms and that was the moment of my ultimate demise. And I embraced it without faltering … what a stupid girl I've been._

_I made the one mistake of believing in him, of believing he is a human, a friend, a lover and … a god. I believed he was my god, my sun, my one and only. I gave him my heart, my body my entire soul and now I am left with nothing._

_Who is to blame, but me? Him? No._

_It's a mistake that cannot be forgiven by Soul Society, by my family, by Jinta and Urahara, but they do not matter since I can run away anytime and leave them behind with their regrets and stupid ideals … Still there is one person that I will never forgive me… myself_"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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"I cannot say I missed this place" mumbled Aizen.

He was in a high state of nerves, state induced more or less by being away from his personal source of happiness. Not being the type to falter over his decisions, Aizen didn't feel much when being put face to face with leaving the human world. Even before it happened there was a 90% chance of being found out and he knew that, better than he would have liked.

Plus he should have left after 6 months, when his strength was right back at its peak and his annoying gigai didn't have enough strength to suck it all at once. Why he remained in the human world, against all common sense and logic, was quite obvious. It started with a "ka" and it ended with "rin"

He released an annoyed sigh, and proceeded to study his surroundings.

His steps echoed unearthly in the empty hall, making him cringe in disgust.

During his reign that hall was the most agglomerated part of Los Noches, the place where Arrancars spent their afternoons, talking with each other and sharing hideous jokes; jokes only they could find funny. But now it was oozing a certain type of emptiness Aizen had never been aware of before. He looked around searching for another life form, yet none seemed to appear on his radar. It was a void once filled by his Numeros, most of them killed in the Winter War.

He arrived at the big doors of the throne room. Without knocking, he pushed then open in a swift, albeit elegant, manner.

"Grimmjow"

Blue eyes, sheltered behind equally blue eyebrows stared at him.

"I knew sooner or later you would come here Aizen. It was just a problem of time before you decided to abandon the human world and make your presence known in Hueco Mundo" Aizen's only response was a simple flick of the hand "Why are you here?"

"I see you've become the King of Hueco Mundo. If I had known Barragan could be so easily replaced, I wouldn't have bothered to make him my subaltern." Grimmjow bared his teeth, sneering dangerously at the other, while Aizen remained unimpressed

"Why are you here?"

"I thought it was quite obvious King-sama" the mockery hidden behind the _sama_ didn't remain unnoticed "But for once I'm not in the mood to squash you like the bug you really are, so get out of my way."

'_His personality seemed to have suffered some changes, but I will not go down as easily as he might think_'

Grimmjow growled ferociously "I'm not as weak as before."

"I can feel. Your reiatsu is on par with your predecessor, you could even give Stark a run for his money, but in comparison you lack self control" the King barked and dashed towards him "and agility" he added when Grimmjow appeared behind him "and brain."

Aizen unsheathed his sword and blocked Grimmjow's strike, which in return stared him down with an angry stare. The ex-leader raised an eyebrow at the other's strange behavior.

"I will not lose"

It took a little while for Aizen to remember combat, but not as much as much as he had expected prior to his arrival. He had a feeling it had something to do with the training he gave to Karin. Even if it didn't involve reaitsu (he could not risk releasing his energy in the middle of the most guarded city on the surface of the planet) it was the physical part that kept him in shape; and having Karin there to attack in different ways, always challenging his intellect in _**so**_ many ways.

Aizen wondered how Karin would be on the field if she had Grimmjow's speed. Probably much better, he decided after blocking an awkward supposed-to-be-a-slash. While Grimmjow was repetitive in his battle attacks, therefore rigid and a liability, Karin was the opposite: flexible, molded herself around the opponent's style, never having a certain pattern, yet neither a certain strategy. She was random.

As Grimmjow's sword approached him, Aizen released an exasperated sigh. He grabbed the sword with his bare hands, then punched the Arrancar in the gut; then, unceremoniously, stepped on Grimmjow's head.

"I don't want to repeat myself, so next time I tell you to get out, you'll get out or there will be no part left of you to do so." Grimmjow barked something unintelligible

"Nelliel" commanded Aizen to the woman stepping through the opened doors.

"Yes Aizen-sama" she answered reticently, looking worriedly at the King's motionless body.

Throwing another look at Grimmjow, Aizen removed his foot from his previous position and turned around

"Take this animal out of my sight"

"Of course Aizen-sama" she bowed deeply and helped Grimmjow regain his equilibrium, who in return, shoved her away and stormed out.

Throwing a half repressed angered look after him, Nel excused herself and left the room.

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"Karin!" screamed Ichigo from the dining room "Come here right now! I need help with this stew Yuzu told me to supervise" then his tone became dark "and trust me: If I don't get help in this instant our kitchen will be no more."

First steps echoed from the stairs and then Karin appeared in the doorframe, black hair wrapped in a braid hanging over her right shoulder. She wore the usual apathetic expression that made her look much older than she really was. Maybe it was from the physical change or from being awake for too long, but her eyes seemed to have some sort of languid lifelessness swarming inside them.

"Karin" whispered Ichigo carefully, like he was trying not to wake her from a deep slumber "Did you catch a cold again?"

"Yeah"

"It's the second time this month." commented the brother as he mixed the components inside the pot with a rather improper utensil.

Karin managed to surpass the harsh reply hanging on the tip of her tongue regarding her sibling's inability to make the difference between a spoon and a knife. He did possess a knife shaped sword; therefore it made sense for him to blend ingredients with a knife, rather than a spoon.

She shrugged her shoulders and came closer; studying the content of the food they were supposed to eat for dinner. Her voice came out a little bit strangled as her tries of pleasant conversation were thrown out the window.

"I guess my immune system decided to take a break or something" then she gave a confident smirk "Don't worry Ichigo. It's just the weather screwing around with me, nothing more nothing less"

"Aha" a sweat drop appeared at his temple "It's pretty damn hot outside, Karin, and judging that we're at the beginning of the summer being cold twice in one month ain't that normal. Just saying."

Karin didn't bother to answer. She knew, in a corner of her mind, that any explanation would sound like a big _bullshit_ in her brother's ears, so why waste valuable effort, when she could just ignore it all.

The last time her body experienced such a dreadful state of weakness, had been after her mother's sudden death and that was also the last time she had a decent cold; giving a few sneezes and blowing her nose once every morning didn't register as _cold_ for the Kurosaki family.

A cold shiver crossed her spine and she coughed loudly in her hand.

The first time she began to have the usual symptoms of flu, her biggest worry was not fever which usually accompanied it, but the motive. As Isshin loved to say, she was strong as an ox, so catching a cold so easily was definitely not part of her normal schedule. She could almost remember the fear she had tried to hide, successfully for once, from her family. After all being the daughter of a medic could give a certain predisposition to paranoia. Therefore the first explanation she could find for her newly acquired immune weakness was pregnancy. Thankfully a pregnancy test she stole from her father's stash confirmed that she was neither pregnant nor in the danger to be anytime soon; that if she didn't screw with another creature of opposite gender. With all the noise going around, Karin was in no need of further drama.

Actually Yuzu appeared to be in an even worse state. Not eating, cooking from time to time, spending her time in bed all day long, getting shitty marks at school and being a drama queen. The house was a mess with her usual self gone.

At first Karin thought it was her imagination, but as she was getting better -at hiding her emotions- Yuzu was having more and more fits of anger. Ichigo blamed it all on Yuzu being overemotional, but Karin knew better. Being her twin sister, she could read her mood-swings, her emotions and, the most important, her opinions of different people. Karin knew far better than anyone how much respect Yuzu had had for Aizen. She had seen it, clear like the morning sky, in her eyes every time he was brought up their discussions.

So when two weeks later Yuzu screamed they didn't understand how much she liked Aizen, Karin had been _very_ template to tell her a sharp '_yes I do_' but kept her mouth shut as she always did; even when it was not the case.

How could Yuzu act like that, when the only relation she had had with Aizen was a date a long time ago? Karin didn't want to judge her, but she was too angry to think straight.

"So … how's school?" asked Ichigo, yanking her back in the real world.

While Ichigo grabbed 4 plates from a cupboard, Karin was left to cut the bread.

"Are you really interested in my school activity or you're just trying to make conversation?"

"A little bit of both, I guess" "Can't a brother be interested in his sister's daily activates?" she didn't have to glare at him to receive the read answer; he already knew the drill "I made the mistake of not keeping you in the loop once. I won't do it ever again"

Karin chopped a piece of meat and threw it in a bowl.

"It's too late for that anyways …"

"I guess it is. Yuzu is going through hell and I can't do anything …"

Karin closed her eyes when a sudden surge of pain crossed her spine. Ichigo continued without notching Karin's obvious distress.

"At first I thought she was going to be okay, but then she told us of her dates with Aizen … I can't believe that creep dared to touch her! My sister!" he slapped his chest in some bizarre gesture of self-masculinity "You have no idea how happy I am he didn't dare to approach you in any way."

Karin didn't budge, staring at the wall. Her heart began to beat rapidity, barging against her ribs in rhythmical precision '_If only you knew_ _Ichigo …_'

"You've always been the smart one Karin." mumbled Ichigo in a rare sign of sensitivity "Maybe you think I've been uncaring in the last period of time, but I know you'll always be careful and one step ahead of every single possibility."

"Thank you -" came her dry answer "- Ichigo."

"Yuzu needs our protection now, so we'll just have to give it to her the best way we can. Will you help me Karin?"

"Of course I will." She could almost hear her heart breaking in even smaller pieces, if that was humanly possible "Yuzu means the world to me."

Dinner passed rather quickly with no unusual event happening, apart from Isshin trying to cheer Yuzu up and Ichigo complimenting his recently found cooking talents. Their gathering had always been a constant source of entertainment, but in that moment Karin felt even lonelier. She excused herself half-trough the meal, without arising any suspicion from her relatives. They were too busy convincing Yuzu to act normal again.

As she stepped on the first stair, Ichigo made an interrogation she didn't hear. Choosing to ignore seemed to work just fine. It always did. Sleep took her in its soft arms, lulling her in a word of further pain, but at least in one she could express herself freely; no boundaries, no censor, no secret.

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Karin opened her eyes, only to find herself in a small room, resembling her own; except that in this room there was no Yuzu. Just her bed, the desk she used to solve her math problems and a mini-table besides the window. The other half of the room, the one occupied by Yuzu was empty. She tuned around, searching for at least another life form.

For some reason, unknown to her, she couldn't find the strength to reach the door handle and get out. It was like a shooting game where the only possible option was spinning around and just like in a shooting game she was sitting duckin the middle of a dark room.

"Karin. My girl, tell me … Why are you doing this to yourself?"

She turned around only to be welcomed by a mirror image of herself. Even the voice of the said person was a perfect copy of her own; and for some reason that scared the shit out of her.

"What -" her voice cracked.

"When you're walking the dangerous, albeit tempting, path of auto-destruction your conscience must act or you're going to drag us along with you"

"Oh great! I really don't need your help consci-" she gestured at the copy "-something"

The copy released a chuckle, and then took a seat on the bed, patting a spot near her. She didn't seem even in the slightest impressed by Karin's hardcore temperament or angry at her. If it was something which struck Karin as odd, then it definitely was the soft, unusual smile which didn't fit on her face. Judging that the copy had Karin's features, the smile was even more out of place.

Karin didn't inquire; she wasn't even tempted to do so, but stared her down with a cold glare, knowing quite well why her mind decided to play tricks on her. They were not called mind-tricks for nothing.

"I know why you're here and I don't care. He left me and this is the end. I don't need to think of it ever again." she concluded darkly.

There was no need for mushy stuff or pussying around the truth.

"You are a woman of a few words, right Kurosaki Karin?" asked rhetorically the copy, the soft smile once adorning her face fading gradually, only to be replace by a more trustable frown "Just listen to yourself. Just listen to all the shits getting out your mouth. Do you believe them?"

Karin looked somewhere else, avoiding her eyes.

The perfect twin sighed loudly, like a mother sighing at her child for begin undeniably dense. Then she got up from the bed and came toward her, putting two strong hands on the girl's shoulders.

"You _are_ strong Karin. Aizen may think you are just another woman, incapable of defending herself and always needing the help of her friends, but you _are_ not." Karin shook the hands holding her in place, only to find the grab of the woman tightening "You are stronger than you give yourself credit for"

Not being in the position to find a proper answer she kept her mouth shut, lips pressed in a straight line.

"Aizen trained you"

"Don't remind me of that"

"Aizen gave you the basics and now you can go on and become even stronger."

For some reason this made Karin click, not in a good way though.

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND? I DON'T WANT TO BECOME STRONGER!" yelled Karin, her tone reaching high peaks of annoyance.

She managed to get herself free form the hands pinning her down and raced at the other end of the room, far away from the tormenting illusion. In her little world there was no need for drama, yet that copy managed to get her angry faster than Aizen ever did.

When her back hit the wall, she raised her eyes making contact with two blackish orbs, which strange enough, appeared to be observing her in the strangest way. Not like an object, but like something worth observing. It reminded her a little of Aizen, except that the stare didn't hold the sexual desire Aizen loved to throw at her.

"Yes you do. You want revenge. You want him to pay and feel sorry for what he did. You want him to come back and fall down his knees." she continued to talk, not stopping her eyes from wandering.

"Stop" Karin commanded, not even being sure weather she wanted the copy to stop from watching her or talking; maybe both.

"You are not an angel. You hidden desire is so fucked up that you cannot decide what to do, therefore you just decided to cry in your palms for the rest of your life" she stated, plainly ignoring Karin.

"Stop"

"Well it doesn't work like that, Karin my girl. Crying solves nothing and to actually get revenge" she puffed "you need to work your ass off and even then it might not be -"

"JUST SHUT UP! I DON'T WANT REVENGE! I DON'T CARE! HE CAN GO FUCK THE ENTIRE WORLD AND I COULD CARE MORE FOR MY PUPPY–SHAPED SLIPPERS" screamed Karin, awkwardly trying to soothe the decibels at the end, when she realized how unbelievably childish was her behavior.

Getting mad was one thing, but getting mad in her inner self, twice already, was definitely a record. Though the copy laughed it away, like it was yesterday's news. It was almost like nothing could surprise her, no matter how out of character Karin decided to get.

"That's an interesting opinion coming from someone so protective … and someone who doesn't own such ridiculous foot-gear"

"I don't need your sarcasm -" mumbled Karin begrudgingly.

"I am you. And sarcasm defines you as a person. It's what Aizen found so alluring about you."

"The only thing he found alluring about me was my surname." came her dry reply.

The mirror-image smirked "What if I told you he had no idea who you were until you told him that night at the ball" confusion spread over Karin's face "The night he kissed you for the first time." the information didn't affect Karin positively, but it seemed to calm her a little bit "Trust me Karin when I say that he was obsessed with you at the point of madness and if I have to guess I would say right now he wishes he had brought you with him … if only just to taste your lips one more time."

"Stop talking nonsense" Karin shook her head disapprovingly.

"If I'm talking nonsense then why do you keep thinking of some of the spiciest nights you shared with him, in his bed, keeping him warm" a blush crept up her already rosy cheeks "Though he sure is a stud of breed" Karin snarled at the improper comment.

"Karin. Tell me the truth. At least confess to yourself if not to anyone else. Unlike your family, unlike your so dear friends, I don't judge. I will never judge you. Plus that would mean judging me and it's too late for paradoxes"

"Leave me alone." She grunted

"Karin … don't procrastinate" she insisted "Let it out. All that you feel, all that you think it's not nice, all those thoughts you locked away in your rush to be _the perfect sister_"

The girl turned around, this time facing the wall. She could not talk her heart out while staring at another person, weather it was real or the product of her crazy imagination, but she could do it if the other _person_ was an object.

Her mind raced through all that happened, starting from the beginning and ending with the moment she fell asleep that night. What was wrong in her version was harder to distinguish. Her life was a multitude of black and white spots and the biggest problem was that she could not decide if Aizen was a back or a white event. If he was black that meant her last 8 months had been a big black hole. It seemed like a rather improbable supposition. And at the same time to categorize someone like Aizen as white was wrong. It was like saying that Hitler and his war was a white spot in history and again it made no sense whatsoever.

Who she blamed for it was even harder to decide. A little bit of Ichigo for keeping her in the dark. Isshin was to blame in equal quantity for the same reason and those incapable Shinigamis of Soul Society for letting Aizen escape in the first place; and Aizen for obvious reasons.

She took a breath, trying to clear her mind and order the priorities. Who was she angry with and why.

She knew she was angry at Aizen, but he was a constant hatred in her life. Instinctively she knew her anger was partially directed at someone else; someone she had not noticed until that moment, until she actually put some thought into it; someone she didn't want to be angry with, but was for reasons which were disturbing, yet egocentric.

The soft name of her sister escaped her lips "Yuzu"

"I'm the worst person ever" she braced her body against the wall and banged her head against it "I've never felt like this and it fucking hurts like hell" she hit it again, forcefully keeping her hands stuck to the wall. "I hate it all."

She didn't want to tend to the injury that was beginning to form on her forehead and neither did she want to confess she was actually hurting herself physically in order to forget her mental pain. Still it didn't seem to work. No matter how many times she was hit, no matter how many times she hit others, the pain was still there afterwards, almost like waiting for a weak moment to barge in and take over.

The other presence cam behind her and placed a soft hand on her forehead, soothing the pain. The previously scared tissue began to heal and bind back into a uniform layer of healthy cells.

"It's always been like that: my brother protecting me and Yuzu. My father giving everything up for us and our happiness." continued Karin, undoubtedly being too far out to notice anything other than her monologue.

"But this time I-" her voice cracked at the end of the sentence "-want it. I want to be helped. FUCK IT! I need to be helped."

Suddenly everything became clear for her.

"You hate that your sister gets all the attention, even though you are the one suffering your heart out." Karin didn't answer "Gosh Karin. You proud yourself for knowing so many things about human behavior, but cannot recognize it when it's right under your nose. What you experience right now is more than normal"

"It's not" insisted Karin "It's plain jealousy. I'm not like that."

"You are human."

"I -" the copy raised an ironic eyebrow "I guess I am"

"The great Kurosaki Karin is jealous that her family loves Yuzu more. Let's see if all the newspapers got that right" she smirked, playing with Karin's hair.

"Don't patronize me."

The copy began to laugh; a sound foreign to Karin's ears. Was her laughter as annoying as hers, she wondered.

"Karin. You came here for advice therefore I will give only one:" the serious tone replaced the playful one from before; there was no malice, no sarcasm " go to Yoruichi-sama and ask for her help." Karin seemed somewhat confused, but at peace; a strange sensation, yet soothing like the morning sun, washed over her, cleaning away the painful tug arching in her heart. "She will make you as fast as the morning shine and as light as a pigeon's father; then you will see the real _me_"

The way she said "me" sounded like the dangling of a bell.

The dream ended just as fast as it began and the morning sun came to life, kissing Karin's face as soon as it reached the window. It seemed to glow brighter than before, like it just came to life after a long, painful sleep. It was a sun foretelling a beautiful day. Still Karin didn't enjoy it even one tiny bit.

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Karin stopped in front of the fancy styled shop, looking up and down the street for any possible rats lurking in the dark. Since there wasn't anything else but a bunch of kids playing with an old bat, she decided entering the store won't be a problem. Judging that the last time she stepped on Urahara's property ended with her screaming swears and storming off like a hurricane, told much about her _problems_ with the creepy shop owner.

Inside it was somewhat cozy, at least better than the last time she had been there. There was a new layer of paint on the right wall and on a long table rested a sculpture of an unknown god. She wasn't a certified critic therefore saying that a stature of plaster hanging in the middle of a totally out of sync table was the most awful thing she had ever seen would have been rather hypocritical. Plus she rather enjoyed Urahara's strange taste in art. It gave her a reason to make fun of him. But somehow she missed the boy staring her down from the far right corner of the room.

"Didn't expect to see you here Kurosaki" sputtered Jinta from the concealed spot he was desperately trying to clean "Thought our last encounter would have been enough to make you stay away."

"Is Yoruichi here?" she asked plainly, taking a daring step forward.

"Are you ignoring me bitch?!" snapped Jinta, tossing the broom aside angrily and preparing to strike.

"I have neither the time, nor the mood for your stupidity Jinta, so bring Yoruichi or Urahara here or I'll be on my way." she replied coldly.

She could have frozen the whole world under her blizzard tone, concluded Jinta darkly. Even if her attitude seemed impenetrable, Jinta still didn't' feel comfortable around her. For one second he had the impression he was talking to a block of ice not a fellow human being. And there was also something dangerous surrounding her. Maybe he wasn't the brightest kid around the block, but he knew a thing or two about how mentally unstable, dangerous people looked if angered and for some reason Karin oozed that kind of menace.

"Be on your way. Thank you very much" managed to blurt out Jinta, gathering his courage.

"I-" began Karin, but stopped midsentence, her attention turning elsewhere.

A black cat rested on the window frame, staring both teenagers down with what one might call a motherly glare.

Karin had never seen Yoruichi in cat form before, only in her human one, but Urahara loved to brag how Yoruichi looked _supercalifragilisticexpialid ocious_ or something …

"Yoruichi-sama" bowed Karin respectfully, then straightened up and took an imposing pose, without showing signs of fear "I want you to train me in the art of stealth."

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Meanwhile in Soul Society, more accurately in the Laboratories of the 12-th Squad, the Captain, Mayuri, was stuck in front of a foreign object, wearing an apathetic expression. Nemu, his petite Lieutenant had a book opened in her hands and was reading instruction after instruction, though her superior didn't seem to react. He just stood there for a couple of minutes, watching the objects scattered on the table, probably wandering how in the name of the science god was he supposed to decipher them.

"In conclusion Nemu, this is a communication device used by humans" concluded Mayuri after Nemu had finished reading.

"Yes Mayuri-san"

He grunted, and then proceeded to observe them even more, under the lens of a microscope.

"Humans are ingenious scientist, but why do they have to build such useless things? But then again, they do not have our Hell Butterflies" his rhetorical question remained unanswered "This will take a while, but it is definitely a challenge worthy of me"

Nemu gave a short nod "Or course Mayuri-san"

"Now Nemu" he turned around, a cruel smirk adorning his face "What have you concluded from the blood-samples you've collected form the scene? And the ones present in Aizen's room"

The woman abandoned the book in a corner and took a notepad from the top shelf of a glass case. After her eyes scanned it for a couple of minutes, she closed it and placed it above the abandoned book.

"Our analysts have discovered 4 donors at the scene" she said in a monotone tone "Three had already been identified and the 4-th is a female, but of unknown roots. The known DANs belong to Lieutenant Hinamori, Lieutenant Matsumoto and Aizen"

Mayuri raised an eyebrow, suddenly taking an interest in the subject

"Was Aizen injured or it belonged to the gigai?"

"Unfortunately I cannot answer that, because unlike our usual gigais, his was quite different" explained Nemu, no inflexion audible in her voice.

"Yeah yeah I've seen it. It's a cheap piece of meat. A perfectly built cheap piece of meat though" mumbled the Captain "And the forth?"

"Since the only other person present at the scene was the Kurosaki sibling, we have decided it was her blood. Unluckily for us, Kurosaki Ichigo denied our request to draw samples of blood from his twin sisters" she stopped for a second, then continued to expose her theories "What _intrigues_ me is that our intelligence stated quite clearly: Kurosaki-san was not physically hurt in the fight, so it must be someone else's blood."

Mayuri scratched his chin, thinking what to ask next, while Nemu remained as expressionless as ever. For someone so "intrigued" she sure didn't appear to show it.

"Anything else?"

"Akon discovered something just as interesting in Aizen's room. It seems that among all the DAN present there, except his own of course, there was one predominant one, which was found preponderantly on his clothes and bed-sheets" though she remained impersonal in the speech, Nemu closed her eyes a moment and paused, then continued just as dully as before "And it matched the unknown one from the scene"

Mayuri's eyes sparkled.

Nemu, being one step ahead of her father, guessed his next question.

"It was a wide range of DAN: a broken nail, saliva, epithelium, over 100 samples of hair and … vaginal fluids"

Quite suddenly Mayuri twirled on his heels and mumbled something intelligible under his breath, proceeding to study the documents Nemu had previously consulted. The woman remained motionless, just like a rock. After one minute of reading, the scientist released a short, yet creepy, bark of laughter.

"This is the most interesting thing I have ever seen. So there were found traces of semen – the test decided it definitely belongs to Aizen- and vaginal fluids, which have _only_ a woman as source" he made a short résumé of what he read from the papers "Nemu. I want you to compare the unknown DNA with Kurosaki Ichigo's."

Nemu nodded, scribbling something on a blank sheet attached to a rather peculiar monitor.

"And if the genetic material has common markers" he smirked "it will prove that one of the Kurosaki twins had intercourse with Aizen"

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First of all KarinAizen fanart drawn by my beta (you can find others in her gallery): chester118. ( deviantart . com) /art/Aizen-and-Karin-To-Break-is-all-I-know-338805499 ; chester118. ( deviantart . com) / /art/Karin-and-Aizen-chibi-346680786

A little high paced probably, but I must confess the last part was my favorite (CSI much?)

So for those of you who wonder weather I have a _plan_, trust me I do. I hope it's not absurd. I don't want to make Karin strong too fast, but at the same time a weak Karin who's all talk doesn't sound to appealing. I would need some opinions here.

As for that talk with herself thing … ummm … no spoilers. take it as you wish.

And I need to clarify one fact. In my eyes Karin protects her sister, she loves her, but at the same time they are **sisters** and no matter how good Karin tries to be I can easily see her get jealous over serious matters. She's a child, a hurt child.

Sorry for the late update, but my life has been a bitch for the last month. Plus I failed my first exam ever *sigh*


	28. The setting sun

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

This chapter has been Betaed by Szayel's Angel! Thank you very very very much!

Because this update comes after a long period of absence I will make a short summary for the last two chapters.

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Summary: Aizen is discovered by Ichigo through an unlucky phone call and is forced to leave. Before he can do that he's attacked my Matsumoto who slashes his gigai's throat. Karin can only watch the horrifying image as shock takes her in its claws. Then Aizen, freed from the gigai, injures Matsumoto and approaches Karin. Before they can talk, Momo appears, but, just like her friend, does not stand a chance against Aizen. Aizen leaves the human world after he knocks Karin unconscious, moving his residence in Hueco Mundo where he dethrones Grimmjow and retakes his place as leader of Hollows.

Karin wakes up on a hospital bed and a strong feeling of desperation overtakes her when she realizes what had really happened. One month of hidden emotions and lies passes. Yuzu seems more affected than her, on the surface, and acts like a drama queen, while Karin can only watch as her family spoils the wrong sister.

Through a strange dream the idea of training with Yoruichi is implanted in her head and she asks the Goddess of Flash for help. Meanwhile in Soul society The Captain of the 12-th Squad investigates Aizen's stay in the human world and finds out he had a carnal relationships with an unknown female. The scene ends with him asking Nemu to investigate the matter.

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 28: The setting sun**

"_I don't even know why I'm scribbling this nonsense on a piece of paper no one will ever acknowledge. My diary consists more of me complaining about Rukia's once-a-month aggressive behavior than being serious._

_But this time I write here because I don't know what to do, I don't know who I should approach with this matter, so why not write in a forgotten place. Father is too disgusted to talk about this topic, Yuzu is in the worst mood possible and Karin barely comes home these days, and when she does, it's either to take a shower, or to grab something from the fridge. I think Aizen managed to become a taboo subject in our house._

_I guess I am somewhat disappointed with Karin and I'm definitely judging her as much as father and Yuzu, but I'm equally worried she'll do something drastic. No matter how strong a person is there is a limit where sanity metamorphoses into insanity._

_And Karin is one hell of a tough nut. I cannot understand what she's thinking, what she might do in the next second; what's the purpose of her words. Sometimes just hearing her talk makes me feel a little hazy._

_Only when I saw her that day standing in front of Soul Society's elite without batting an eye, as Yuzu was throwing at her the worst insults a woman can get, I realized the girl standing there was not my sister, but someone matured. She was a changed woman, a strong one, but at the same time… she scared me._"

Kurosaki Ichigo's diary

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_Three weeks later_

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"KARIN!" screamed the cat-like woman as she watched the black haired twin do her regular dose of one-armed-push-ups "It's time to take a well deserved break. You'll be no good to me half tired anyways"

She stopped and pushed herself up with the help of her supporting hand. Her black, freshly trimmed hair, wrapped in a high ponytail, waved around her frame.

Yoruichi smirked, studying the new layer of muscles Karin had acquired through her training and enjoying the perks of being the source of those obvious improvements. Or so she liked to think. The usual black shorts Karin wore for training gave little space for imagination and therefore Yoruichi always amused herself with having Jinta around and seeing him blush at the sight. She could not blame him. Where Yuzu was cute and had feminine shapes, Karin was downright sexy. Strong, lean, long legs, slim hips, average sized bust, but with perfectly round, firm breasts, long neck, framed by delicious black hair and dark, intense eyes.

There were moments when Yoruichi asked herself what was so special about the girl. As she said, Karin was sexy but so were many other female Shinigami she had trained. Soi Fon for example (even if sexy was not the exactly right world for the captain) had a more beautiful face, not so angular. She might have had smaller, almost inexistent, assets, but she definitely attracted more attention. Yet Karin had phased her form the second she asked to be trained.

At first she thought the intense, Kurosaki like, eyes were at fault for the short moment of weakness which lead to accepting Karin as apprentice, but as time passed she realized she liked Karin more than her previous pupils. While Soi Fon had been perfect from every perspective, a true prodigy, her blind adoration became quite annoying sometimes. On the opposite side was Ichigo who was complaining every single time about every single thing in every single way.

Karin, by comparison was quite different. Like the other two, she was a prodigy, that much had been obvious from the first two moves she had taught her, but not the type of prodigy who gets cocky and forgets about the final goal. No. She was a fast learner, a hard worker and a cold minded strategist. In one word: perfect. For three weeks Karin had been training her Shunpo to get on par with hers, she was pretty far from such an accomplishment, but during the fighting session she didn't rely on Shunpo only; just like her brother, she worked perfectly under pressure therefore combing all she knew: fighting style, shunpo, dirty tricks and so on.

Thinking about it Yoruichi realized the girl was just like her form many points of view, when fighting was concerned at least. She was less pervy that much was obvious and didn't have the urge to go around naked, but she was not a prude either.

Karin stretched her back and stared at Yoruichi, her eyes shining with anticipation.

"Are we starting the Shunpo training?" she asked, watching the goddess with interest.

"Yes" answered Yoruichi, raising from the ground and preparing her clothes for combat "Let's see if your speed improved Karin"

The girl took a step back and got into position. As always it was perfect.

Yoruichi fiddled with her fingernails probably trying to see how patient Karin can be. The girl didn't move from the spot or abuse her moment of inattentiveness. Contrary to what she thought, Karin actually seemed to have resigned herself with trying dirty tricks, since they usually did not work.

Yoruichi released an annoyed sigh, closing her eyes for a moment, and that was when Karin attacked at full speed.

"Nice one Karin" she announced as she flash stepped away from the punch threatening to send her through a couple of rocks.

The girl didn't speak. Karin seldom said anything during fighting. As she had confessed in one of the breaks, talking was a distraction for her and a luxury only the strong ones afforded to have.

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"I can't believe you got the guts to stand before me and lie to my face" barked Isshin between bared teeth.

"This is unlike you Isshin-san. We both know your daughter has potential …" said Urahara from behind his fan, protecting his face from any unwelcomed punch.

"I don't giv-" began Isshin, fuming all over the place.

"Come with me and I'll show you why Yoruichi is training her" commanded softy Urahara.

Isshin released a sigh but followed the older Shinigami in his underground training ground. Even if he was not the happiest man to have his daughter put in danger, not training her could prove to be even more dangerous. Only after Aizen had (quite literally) infiltrated their family he had been put face to face with the ugly truth of not being able to protect them continuously.

"I understand your concerns Isshin, but right now, having Karin here, teaching her how to fight against possible enemies and strengthening her talents is the best possible outcome" spoke Urahara as he began to walk towards a place where clashes could be heard.

Without losing the frown, Isshin stuck his hands deep inside the pockets of his trousers.

"I know, but don't expect me to be happy about this _best_ outcome"

The shop-owner closed his fan and stopped abruptly. Without further notice he turned around and pinned Isshin with one of his rare serious glares.

"You and Ichigo are the ones who kept them in the dark about Soul Society and Shinigami business" commented the man dryly.

Isshin gulped loudly and took a step back. An angry Urahara was one thing, but an angry intense Urahara was no good news.

"This best outcome I'm talking about has been dictated by your inability to understand the situation properly. You were both too busy strangling them in a tight leash that you failed to notice the danger creeping around them and because of that one of your daughters has fallen in love with Aizen and the other was at his mercy and in mortal danger barley two months ago."

Isshin didn't speak. What could he say? He wondered. Everything said by the shop owner was true. If he had been more careful, if he had told Karin and Yuzu about Aizen and his crimes, about his looks things would have unrolled differently; he was sure of that. But he was in no position to think about the past when the said past was already too far to be changed.

"I know" he whispered "I had been wrong, but all I did was for the best."

The excuse sounded so dry in his ears.

"The path to hell is paved with good intentions" stated Urahara plainly.

Isshin cringed.

They began to walk again, this time in total silence. None of them said anything, probably fearing another session of strong, unnecessary words, until they reached a cliff where they could see the battlefield perfectly. While Urahara fiddled with his fan, Isshin studied the field and the two persons too submerged in training to feel his presence. He doubted Yoruichi didn't feel his reiatsu from a mile, but Karin, not being as experienced or as strong as her trainer had no chance. Plus adding the intense pressure the training must have given to her, it was no surprise.

He watched as Karin lunched into a Shunpo, avoiding Yoruichi's kick by a millimeter. His eyes widened visibly at the sight. When did his daughter become so fast? He was sure this training she was undergoing couldn't have been going for more than one month, yet his daughter's movements were extremely complicated and showed a deep understating of fighting.

"I know Isshin. She is a prodigy at speed. Her reiatsu control is worse than Ichigo's but at speed, she's definitely a pro." He let his fan hide his features, letting only a pair of glowing eyes stare from behind the shadows "She's … strong"

The man didn't answer for a couple of minutes, staring at the scene, half shocked, half proud. His little girl was proving to be as talented as her brother. Isshin didn't know whether to be pleased with this development or angry at fate for blessing another of his offspring with such a burden. With power came the instinct to use it and the camouflaged responsibility of using it wisely. He had desired in vain to be lucky enough not to involve Karin in this tumultuous world. Seeing her obvious talent scattered away any hope he might have had.

"It's not only the speed" he noticed, frowning a little "She has confidence in her moves and the way she attacks reveals no weak point."

"I did not teach her that" said Urahara protectively "I will not take credit for something I did not do."

"I've seen Seated Officers with less control" continued Isshin, not really listening to what Urahara was saying.

"As I said Isshin, your daughter has the potential to become a strong human; if not even stronger than Ichigo."

"What? My son can be overpowered by someone? Never!" The father joked.

An amused smile appeared on the shop owner's lips. Isshin didn't have to see behind the fan, he could actually see Urahara's body relax at the mockery. They continued to watch them for another ten minutes. Then Isshin turned around.

"Already done? Aren't you going to wait for your daughter to finish?" inquired Urahara.

An annoyed grunt passed Isshin's lips "I would rather have her not to know I'm aware of her extracurricular activities"

"Whatever you wish"

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Karin stretched her back, but stopped the urge to rub the new injures she had acquired during training. Her skin arched and her muscles were actually begging for a break and Yoruichi really didn't spare her a second to recollect herself.

As always she was in great need of a hot shower to get the stench of sweat and dirt off her skin. A few bruises appeared on her skin but nothing unrepeatable. When she was sure the bruises were about to heal, her sensei came right back and created new ones. One would think after a month you'd get used to that.

"Well Karin you're really getting better and better" laughed Yoruichi slapping her back just over a painfully large bruise.

The girl cringed a little.

"Well I'm going … Yuzu said something about buying groceries and I really don't want to anger her right now; especially since she's been feeling better these last few days." stated Karin as she gathered her things.

There was no way she was staying with the busty woman anymore than necessary. Three assaults per week were just about what she could handle.

"I heard your sister and Aizen had been all chummy with each other" stated Yoruichi plainly.

Karin didn't answer. The woman blamed her disciple's silence for the sibling love she probably had for Yuzu; though her silence had a totally different reason.

"Naaaahh don't worry she'll be over her obsession in no time. Aizen may be an attractive villain, but once he's removed from the proximity there remains no trace for remembering him"

"I guess" mumbled Karin, clearly not in the mood to talk about Aizen.

She instinctively placed a hand on her chest over her necklace. After she had gotten over her depression a part of her was tempted to throw away all things that could be a reminder of Aizen. And so she did: she threw away the photographs, letters, gifts Aizen had given to her during their short time together. She also deleted his number, the pictures, and the text messages from her phone; and in the end was very allured by the idea of throwing away his ring. But the other part of her, the part that was, still, constantly being a bother by crying after Aizen, denied this little wish.

Karin's hand clenched the cloth covering the ring. After she had decided to keep the ring, nothing could make her wear it on her finger for everyone to see. Plus she would have been a big liar if she didn't confess that this decision didn't come from the shame she felt for actually falling for Aizen's mind tricks. As an excuse she determined keeping the ring would be a good reminder for her infinite idiocy and for any future actions that might involve guys.

If before she had been heartbroken by Toshiro's sudden leave, now what she felt was exponentially worse. Having that ring, hanging over her heart would be the perfect thing to remind her of all that happened and keep her wary. Not once had she realized the situation could be misinterpreted.

"UUUU! Are you still there Karin?" waved Yoruichi a hand before her eyes.

Karin flinched away. "Oh sorry, I guess I'm kinda tired" she rubbed her temples.

Yoruichi shrugged, but accepted her excuse. Then released a sigh and stared at Karin.

"I heard you and Aizen were pretty close too"

"Umm" grunted Karin unpleasantly "he was that goalkeeper, in the soccer team I'm playing with."

"So you were not close? I don't really know how sports work in the human world"

"No … we were not close"

'_Why can't people just let it go already?_'

Yoruichi scratched her chin "That's good. Aizen is bad news no matter in what package he comes, although I'm definitely happy your sister is feeling better. But for him to have the guts to go after a Kurosaki … while knowing how dangerous it might be, shows he's just as confident as ever."

Karin threw the school bag over her shoulder.

"I don't think he's the kind of guy to lack confidence. He had always given me the vibe of a winner."

"As unpleased as it is, yes he does that."

Karin tilted her head, confused and asking for an explanation. She had been quite sure that, with the other Shinigami Aizen had been more restrained than with her. Blocking another sigh, Karin concentrated on Yoruichi and her serious expression.

"In the Winter War I fought against him and even if we were three: me, Urahara and your father, on one, him, he hadn't shown, not even for a moment, event the slightest sign of distress. He was clam as a rock and so confident in his abilities that he crushed us in no time. Though I'm not sure due to his confidence he managed to become insanely strong. I remember he was quite a good lieutenant back in the days … up until he got some captains and lieutenants banished from Soul Society, me included, and plotted for a century the destruction of our home, while the others thought he was the cream on top of a cake, but what can I say? Appearances can be deceiving sometimes"

Karin was listening, carefully taking all in. There was no saying when she'll need that information

"An evil genius that's what Urahara's calling him" suddenly realizing she had been rambling for quite a while about things Karin wasn't supposed to be interested in, Yoruichi smirked "Well I guess you don't want to hear an old lady talk about her past."

Karin faked a smile.

"Don't worry, but I should really go. My sister is waiting me." Then she waved goodbye and left the training area.

Luckily she didn't meet Urahara or Jinta, they were probably out buying goods from suppliers, so she was able to leave the shop immediately without any further interruption.

'_An evil genius they say?_' she thought grimly, staring at the setting sun.

Her fast pace slowed down until she stopped in the front of the river where her mother had been killed. The sun, stuck between two buildings, was staring back at her. Karin could almost swear she had seen a frowning face on the faded golden orb, but after she looked again the impression was gone.

The atmosphere was warm and wet just like the day he had followed her at the library.

'_So much time had passed since then_' she thought '_and so many things had happened._'

With a last flick of light the sun began to descend slowly, its rays fading behind the gray buildings and a long shadow spread at Karin's feat gently shaping her supple form on the asphalt. Her eyes darted back at the orange orb.

"Are you tired as well, buddy?" she asked, not really waiting for an answer "You must be … you must be really tired to see all these ants' dramas play before you and maybe you would like to tell them of their useless fates. Maybe you'd like to scream at them for being stupid and not seeing what's so clear to you. But you see it all from above and we, some mere human beings, cannot do that. Maybe you've tried to warn me about Aizen, but I did not listen. All those mornings annoying me while I was trying to sleep were your way of communicating with me, weren't they?" the sun seemed to shine a little brighter, then faded behind the hill, leaving the world in the dark "I'm talking with the sun … I've never felt so ridiculous in my life"

Then she grabbed her headphones and adjusted them on her head.

Maybe Kurosaki Karin was unsure of many things, but what she certainly knew was that she had always been strong enough to overcome anything. Her love for Aizen had been deep, that was true, but not blind as she had thought and feared. She had known from the start of his disposition towards evil and had accepted it even before the confirmation. It was her fault for doing so, but not even a second had she regretted it. The months spent with him had been her sweetest memory and, instead of throwing them in a forgotten corner, she had decided to lock them in a box and hide them under the bed; and sometimes she would take it out, unlock it and stare at them with melancholy.

That's how she decided to look at the past: as a tender memory of what it could have been.

A soft melody began to play and Karin closed her eyes enjoying the peace. Little did she know that the peace she needed so desperately will soon be shaken up and her heart will be put to test yet again.

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"Grimmjow" grunted Nel as the source of her attention turned around looking rather annoyed "Stop pacing the room. It's not normal for you to sweep the floor with your tail like a cat in heat" after receiving no answer she continued to argue, even though the man seemed more than reluctant to listen to any of her advices "I know you're not in your best of moods, but doing this to yourself will definitely not help with our current predicament."

Grimmjow released a pained growl.

"Stop" she commanded.

"I'm so angry right now I could kill every single Shingami, Human and Arrancar in sight" he managed to mumble.

Without faltering, Net rapidly hugged him and brought his head between her two ample possessions. He didn't struggle –who in the right mind would do that- just stood there while Nel caressed his blue tresses under her smooth and calming touch. If she enjoyed it as much as he did, he had no idea, but the hands resting in his hair, massaging his scalp in round well-proportioned circles could make any man purr in pleasure. Still, he refrained himself from doing such a ridiculous thing like purring.

"Big cat" smirked Nel, her fingers pinching the bridge of his nose "If I didn't know you were such an _incredible_ feline, I would swear in front of any God you're one of those abstinent monks I heard live in the human world"

Grimmjow's eyebrow twitched and Nel's smile widened visibly when noticing the other's negative reaction.

Even if he was angry at the way Aizen treated him, there was something that bothered Nel, as well as Grimmjow -although he reticently denied any kind of worry- even more. She had been created long before Grimmjow, therefore knew her leader as well as the previous 1-st Espada had. But the way Aizen behaved was slightly different, albeit not by much; the sharp mind and abnormal charming attitude were still there, yet for an evil over-planning madman he sure liked to stare into space, lost in his own little world, a little bit too much. There were moments when the leader did not even bother to pay attention to what the Arrancars were reporting. Half of the time he looked totally out of it.

She shook the thoughts out. There was no need of further intrusion in matters that did not affect them directly, not in a bad way at least.

"Did you send that message?" asked Grimmjow, sticking his hands in the baggy pockets of the hakama hanging loosely around his hips.

Nel seemed to think for a couple of minutes "Yes I did and Ichigo-chan should have got it till now or so I hope"

"Just like all those love letters I found under your bed with Ichigo as their recipient?" he smirked, happy he caught her red handed for the first time.

"… I - just hope Ichigo gets it. After all it's the only information I could sneak out without being suspected" babbled Nel too embarrassed to deny it. And it would have been in vain judging her previous, quite stupid, crush on the human hybrid.

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Ichigo scrambled through some of his old junk, only to find a strange letter stuck between two old cups of tea. What shocked him was that he didn't own such fancy cups, and furthermore, he had never seen such paper in his entire life, except maybe in a museum. It looked yellowed with age, like parchment. He slowly opened it.

"_Ichigo-chan_

_Don't panic. It's me __**Nelliel**__ Tu Odelschwanck__. _

_As you/Soul Society probably presupposed you have a traitor lost in Hueco Mundo. Yes Aizen came here and re-enslaved us, though re-enslaved is a strong word. Let's just say he came here and decided to push us, me and Grimmjow if you wonder, around like he never left. He's as strong as always, if not even stronger. I guess you've never succeeded to remove the Hogyoku from his chest, have you?_

_I must make this letter short, because the way it's being transported leaves me with no other choice. Listen carefully. Aizen wants to attack Karakura, but not to destroy it. I'm not sure what he has in mind, since both I and Grimmjow are being completely kept out of the loop (but eavesdropping comes in handy) I'm also not sure when he'll do that: it can be tomorrow, a month from now or … much later; a specific date … I'm pretty sure not even Aizen decided yet._

_For now things here are going smoothly; no new overly-powerful Arrancar appeared. Aizen just gathered some of the remaining Numeros and made 2 new Espada. If I were to judge by their reiatsu alone I would say they're at Aaroniero's leave at their best. Absolutely no danger for a Captain._

_I will write you as soon as I get new information regarding the attack, but be prepared and pass this massage to your superiors. I would be glad to visit you anytime, but leaving Las Noches means no coming back; plus I'm not sure I can get out alive._

_With love, _

_Your not so little anymore, Nel_

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Ichigo handed the letter to a rather strange looking Shinigami, who in response took it to the Commander.

"Interesting" said Yamamoto, scratching his chin thoughtfully "Did you get more letters from this Arrancar you seem to trust?"

Ichigo shook his head, then made eye contact with Soul Society's most powerful –feared- man, holding his intense gaze for a couple of seconds. Then coughed in his hand and stated with a little more passion than a Shinigami talking of a Hollow should have had.

"Nel was an invaluable ally in the Winter War. But answering your question: no I did not receive other letters from her." he checked the other Captain's faces, catching a glimpse of Renji's smirk; a smirk that oozed "_Your hollow girl has just become our spy"_.

Silence enveloped the room.

"There is something else we wish to discuss with you Kurosaki" continued to speak Yamamoto after the dramatic pause created.

"What can be more important than a spy between the enemy lines?" asked Ichigo, sneaking a peak at a rather worried looking Rukia.

She shook her head, confusion painted on her face. Yet for some reason the other captains didn't seem surprised by their leader's statement. They had probably been informed beforehand of what will be discussed in the meeting, concluded Ichigo. The Captains Meetings were really rare and the Captains-Lieutenants were even rarer, so for whatever reason they had been summoned it was of great importance. He had thought it was because of the letter, but that didn't seem to be the case.

The spot behind Toshiro was empty and between Unohana and Byakuya, where was supposed to be the representative of the 5-th Squad, there was no one; both standing as proof of the two girls' extensive injuries.

"It's about what happened to your sisters." cleared Toshiro when he noticed the confusion on Ichigo's face.

The Substitute Shinigami's already deep frown deepened –if possible- a wrinkle cutting his forehead in two. In that moment he looked like a feral lioness, protecting its offspring from predators. And if the obsessive protectiveness he harbored for his sisters had been unknown till that moment to some of the captains, it became quite obvious. There was no doubt whatsoever that Ichigo's family was a taboo subject for him.

"I love that face Ichigo" grunted Zaraki, an equally hideous smirk beginning to form on his lips "It's the face of a warrior not afraid of anything"

Unohana shot an annoyed glare at Zaraki, but didn't comment or bother to condemn the Captain's interruption. Mayuri however was not as diplomatic as his colleague.

"Hmmm … only a barbarian like you could say such a thing when our leader clearly desired to discuss other matters with Kurosaki Ichigo."

"But why was the Shorty Captain allowed to speak and I'm not?" snapped Zaraki angrily at Mayuri.

"Shorty Captain" fumed Toshiro loudly, a vain pulsing at his temple.

"Enough with this" commanded Yamamoto, throwing dark looks at the three involved Captains "Although the head of the Science department is right. My summoning had another purpose than seeing Captain Kenpachi complimenting your looks" he continued, addressing a rather confused Ichigo.

Zaraki huffed; then crossed his hands over his chest eying Mayuri with his darkest glare.

"As Captain Hitsugaya said, it's about your sisters and what happened with Aizen"

"Nothing happened to Yuzu, thank god. And Karin was just at the wrong place at the wrong time" counterattacked Ichigo "I don't see how my sisters are being relevant here."

Mayuri took a step forward.

"I hate to inform you" though the phrase was said with a smirking face that totally contradicted the words "but one of your female siblings had intercourse with Aizen Sousuke … multiple times."

Ichigo looked like he was about to throw up the food he had yet to eat.

"WHAT!?" the scream echoed in Soul Society.

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Sorry for the late update … again, but huh … I've told you how school is my possessive/oppressive husband, right? Well I got my diploma, but right now I'm trying to get in a masters program and handling my job at the same time. Yeah my life didn't get any easier. Hopefully if I get into this program I'll have more time to write.

I'm sorry for taking so long. I really am. And I don't plan to abandon this story. It's my favorite, it's my precious baby. Therefore even if it gets more to update I will always continue this story.

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and the next one … will definitely be eventful. As you suspected the SS finds out Karin's dirty secret.


	29. Kicked while you're down

**I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet. **

**This chapter has been Betaed by Szayel's Angel! Thank you very very very much!**

**And the new cover belongs to ****KureaRinyu37furansu**

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 29: Kicked while you're down**

"_It's never too late…_

_To change yourself_

_It's not too late..._

_But I can't be someone else_"

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Yuzu scratched the back of her head with a spoon, staring at a peculiar stain. She still did not understand why her father felt the need to destroy his every single shirt; maybe to test her patience, though her disposition tended to shift every ten seconds these days.

"Oi Yuzu" screamed Karin as she threw her shoes in a corner "I brought the ingredients."

"I hope you did not forget about the-"

"-the soy sauce. No I did not. It was quite hard with you reminding me every ten seconds" then she opened her phone and touched the screen "And yes I had read the 3 identical messages saying "_Do not forget the soy sauce!_"

"I was just making sure you wouldn't forget" mumbled Yuzu reticently "like the last time I asked you"

The black haired twin shrugged and proceeded with emptying the bag. While Yuzu grabbed the soy sauce like her whole life was depending on that little bottle, Karin threw the paper bag in the garbage, hitting the target from the first shot. She smiled a little thinking weather she should continue playing soccer of shift to another sport, like basketball.

Her father had been complaining lately about her getting all bruised up after the soccer matches and something annoying about being more careful with her fragile, feminine figure. Not that she ever listened to what her father babbled. Still soccer gave a good excuse for possible injuries that appeared during her shun-po practice with Yoruichi. It was fairly easy to cover a bruise on a shoulder, or any other place for that matter, with the excuse I-bumped-in-a-guy-while-I-was-running-and-no-it-wa s-not-a-foul and adding the do-not-go-bankai-on-him.

Karin watched her twin cook something that smelled utterly delicious. Somewhere in her mind she was glad Yuzu seemed to have gotten over her depression, but another part of her thought she was faking it to some degree. After all Yuzu was a Kurosaki, and Kurosakis rarely showed their true nature. That didn't mean they were cold or two-faced, that was not the case, both she and Ichigo had plenty of reactions to what was happening, it was just that when it really mattered or when those reactions could hurt others they hid them deep under a thick layer of sarcasm and indifference. And judging the longing look in Yuzu's eyes, Karin deduced she was far from cured of Aizen's betrayal.

She released a deep sigh, realizing she was even more out of it than she thought.

'_I'm really out of it if I cannot guess my sister's disposition_' thought Karin darkly.

Yuzu hummed something slowly, placing the stew in big plates.

Even if she would have liked, Karin didn't really feel like telling her sister that Ichigo was not in the Human World and judging by how his reiatsu spiked in anger, he was sure not to come anytime soon.

"Something wrong, Karin?" asked Yuzu.

"Umm … no" answered Karin, watching the door.

A frown began to form on her face.

She released an annoyed sigh, not directed at Yuzu, but at the one approaching their house. Apparently the Ex-Captain of the 3-th Squad was not aware of Ichigo's whereabouts or he would have made a 180 degree turn and gone back to his White Soul Society. Or maybe he was, after all Shinigamis, especially captains –even demoted ones-, were supposed to be super skilled in reiatsu detection.

"Is he visiting me?" wondered Karin out loud.

Yuzu eyed Karin curiously, not aware of the presence of the captain, until he knocked at the door, equipped in a brand new gigai.

A bright smile appeared on Yuzu's lips.

"Finally! They arrived!" the interjection made Karin wary when she noticed her sister's misunderstanding. She thought Ichigo was the one outside asking for permission to come inside; how wrong she was.

Karin's worries became real when Yuzu opened the front door and the creepy smile of Ichimaru Gin greeted her in its entire splendor. The blondish twin took a step back and her first reaction was to close the door in his face and so she did, except that the Shinigami put a hand on it before it could hit the frame.

"You're being impolite li'le Kurosaki" said Ichimaru, his hand slipping unceremoniously down the door and onto the handle.

He stepped inside and Yuzu took a couple of steps backward, shaking with terror. Karin was quite indifferent to Gin's creepy attitude, after all it was not the first time she met him, but seeing her sister in such a state of shock made her blood boil with anger. How dare he come into their home and spoil their meal? That was the first thing which crossed Karin's mind.

"You are supposed to greet your brother's friends, isn't that right?" he said, his voice sounding like the hissing of a snake.

"Ichigo is not at home" snapped Karin, putting her body in between the two figures "And from what I can remember our brother hates your guts; and for good reasons"

For some reason the presence of the ex-captain raised in her feelings of annoyance she did not know existed. It was almost like a second Aizen, minus the two-faced property and alluring personality, but a second Aizen nonetheless. Maybe that was one of the reasons why she absolutely and indubitably had hated the man from the first second she laid eyes on him. Whether he shared her feelings, she did not know and, truth to be told, did not care.

Yet his lips' curl seemed to lose their edge, as his stare – Karin didn't know if he was actually looking at her judging his eyes were permanently closed – focused solely on her. Maybe he hated her just as much she hated him. It was normal they had both been fucked by Aizen, one literally the other metaphorically.

"Your attitude is rather harsh, don't you think li'le Kurosaki?" mumbled Gin grudgingly as his face twitched in what one might call an annoyed frown.

"No" replied Karin calmly.

Gin's smile didn't return. Instead of it, a serious expression appeared. Neither of the girls knew how to react to the sudden change in tonus.

"Luckily for me, I have no business with Kurosaki-kun today"

Yuzu peaked from behind Karin, curious to see what that strange man actually wanted from them. It was the first time she saw him, but Karin definitely knew him very well or she wouldn't have known who he was searching for.

"And father had left for a couple of hours" continued Yuzu, still hidden behind her sister.

"Nor with Kurosaki Senior. Actually I came to speak with you two"

Karin's frown deepened, while Yuzu seemed to be in a high state of confusion. Her sister could not judge her. Though she looked relatively calm on the outsider, her insides were making some kind of exotic dance. It didn't take a genius to realize that whatever Gin wanted from them it was related to Aizen and anything related to her ex-lover left Karin with a sour taste in her mouth.

"Then what's your business with us, Shinigami?" asked Karin coldly.

"You've been summoned in Soul Society" stated Gin plainly, his eyes opening for a second to peer at the black haired twin.

She could not deduce what his look meant, mainly because all her concentration had been poured into trying not to dash away. Running away right there and leaving Yuzu with that creep was definitely not an option. So she sucked all her fears inside and put a brave look on.

"If this gets us in trouble with Ichi-nii I will personally emasculate you."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Is this some kind of a JOKE!" screamed Ichigo at the attendance "Because it's damn far form funny."

The Captains didn't react in anyway. Whether they knew he would react like that or found his behavior normal for what he had just found out, it didn't matter. What really mattered, from their point of view, was to clear up this misunderstanding.

Almost all of them, except Mayuri and Unohana, found this situation rather ridiculous and out of a poorly written story. After all why would a villain as smart as Aizen go for someone as useless as the Kurosaki twins? Just to annoy the older sibling. Even if the villain had some tendency towards revenge, why go for the most obvious persons and the ones Ichigo interacted with on a daily basis? And if he did that, why continue with it?

For all they knew Aizen had probably planted the evidence there to get Ichigo's panties into a bunch. That was the reason why they were all so relaxed.

"Neither one of my sisters would do something so stupid and then shush it up" stated Ichigo calmly after thinking things through.

"I agree" said Toshiro "He probably had an obsession over one of then and planted the evidence Captain Kurotsuchi found, only to get us alarmed. We are kind of wasting out time on useless meetings instead of discussing the real issues of Soul Society."

"And what are the real issues Captain Hitsugaya" thundered Yamamoto's voice. Everybody froze up, no pun intended.

Toshiro gulped and then slowly, patiently began to speak again, this time his tone softer.

"What I meant Captain Commander is that we should find a way to defeat Aizen instead of chasing around something that's probably his half baked lie."

The man seemed to calm down hearing the answer. "I see. Well I do not want to have loose ends. If this is a lie we will find out soon enough. If it is true … we will see to it."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. The nerves he had previously displayed had been replaced by an unnatural calmness.

"As Toshiro said. I think this is a waste of precious time"

"That is impossible." Mayuri concurred "It's very hard to replicate a DNA. Even if one can make a human body, a gigai for example, it's pretty often that the DNA is not a perfect match for the user. True it is pretty close, or the artificial body would not look like the user, but still to actually recreate a DNA especially from that part of the body is …"

Unohana, who had been quiet all this time, felt that a correction was in need.

"Captain Kurotsuchi" she suddenly interjected "Didn't you say Aizen's gigai presented his original perfectly matched DNA? How did he do a gigai with his DNA if he could NOT replicate another's perfectly?"

Silence enveloped the room and, as it often happened, The Captain of the 12-th squad was put in a corner by his archrival in science.

Some lieutenants giggled, but a soft glare from Yamamoto silenced them.

Without notice, Ichimaru Gin opened the large doors and stepped in, under the curious gaze of all the Captains and appointed lieutenants.

"Captain Commander" he saluted the intended with his usual curved smile "Captains" he saluted the others, a mockery hidden behind his tone; few noticed it though "I have brought the ones you've asked for" this time there was no mockery or amusement in his voice; actually it was deadly serious "I have brought with me from the human world the precious Kurosaki twins"

Every head in the room turned around and fixed their attention on him and the two shadows spreading on either side of him. Most of them were just curious to meet their hero's siblings and, probably, judge whether they had the potential their brother had exhibited. But others didn't have so pure intentions.

The ones who had met them already were eager to meet them again; and quite excited to see their reactions. Renji and Rukia glanced at each other, amused by the whole thing and possibly wondering how Karin will react when she hears about the Aizen and Ichigo related DNA business. Rukia released a soft chuckle, while her childhood buddy smirked.

As expected by the knowing ones, Karin was the first to step into the room. She was the one who saw them on a daily basis and felt their energy, so it was normal for her to "feel at home" among them. Apart from looking bored out of her mind nothing struck as strange. Maybe her clothes could be frowned upon. She looked kinda frail with a simple tee-shirt three times her size and a pair of baggy pants that made her look rectangular.

Though her appearance was quite disturbing, Toshiro and Renji were used to her simple, unfeminine way of dressing.

Still no Shinigami was the fashion type, except Matsumoto, even if some of them looked at Karin like she was some nameless homeless girl. Then Yuzu, who had been hidden behind Karin the whole time, stepped around her sister and stared at them.

Renji looked around him and knew in an instant that half of the male counterpart has just experienced love at first sight. It was pretty hard not to, since Yuzu has been snatched by Gin while wearing her fancy Berry-lover apron and men sure loved the maid outfit more than the tomboy appearance. He had to confess, the blond twin had quite an alluring figure.

Apparently he was not the only one studying Yuzu from head to foot. His captain, Kuchiki Byakuya, who had never seen Yuzu, just her twin, was quite … he would have said smitten with her, but decided to say shocked. He probably had expected Yuzu to be a brute like the Kurosakis he had met till then, not a soft, shy polite girl, who seemed to be timid around such a large crowd.

"Why did you bring my sisters here?" exclaimed Ichigo, literally puffing smoke and fire.

He was stuck somewhere between anger and fury, his previous calmness gone in a second.

"I thought my reasons were pretty obvious Kurosaki Ichigo" stated Yamamoto coolly.

"No they were not" his voice cracking at the end "I told you I don't want to have my sister mixed into this and still you, old man, did not listen! Had your old age begun to affect your hear…"

"That is enough Kurosaki Ichigo" Unohana's voice stopped his sentence, though everyone knew the conclusion "We need to confirm our suspicions and don't forget your sisters had been mixed in this the moment Aizen laid eyes on them. And neither you nor anyone else" she eyed Gin grudgingly "realized that in time to save them. So calm yourself and listen to what The Commander has to say."

Begrudgingly Ichigo darted his stare down to the floor. Mainly because he did not want to get on the 4th Squad Captain's side or because deep inside he was just as curious as all of them, Ichigo backed down and let the Captain Commander speak.

"We have discovered some traces regarding Aizen's stay in Karakura and some of them links him to your" Karin gulped on silent mode, while Yuzu looked just about to loose consciousness, but they both managed to stay straight as the old man continued to talk "Therefore I wish to know if one of you had a sexual relationship with Aizen Sosuke."

Karin thought she would faint the moment the old man asked the question. Luckily she was able to stay on two and not lose her composure. As long as she kept the poker-face on and controlled her erratic heart and uneven breathing she would be fine, she concluded. After the initial shock had passed, she peered at the Shinigamis gathered in the room, checking their faces. Oddly enough neither of them seemed to pay attention to her -almost like she wasn't there- their stares being focused on her beautiful sister.

The blond girl had her hands gathered in fists and held such a scared expression on her face that everybody began to suspect her the moment they took notice of her behavior.

"Yuzu?" asked Ichigo with wide eyes "did you …" he left his question unfinished.

Although he had asked, it was pretty obvious he did not want to know the answer. It scared him to the core to even think Aizen had tainted his innocent little sister with his fitly hands, but thinking about it made him realize Yuzu had always been the easier choice for bad boys. The only luck was that Karin had been around to chase them away the moment they made the wrong move. But Aizen was too much to handle for someone as weak as Karin, so maybe this time she could not protect Yuzu the way she always did.

With eyes that begged for an answer Ichigo looked at Yuzu "Please Yuzu. Please tell me the truth. I won't be mad I promise, but I still need to know the truth in order to protect you."

She opened her mouth to say something and managed to grumble out a half repressed "I did no such thing."

"She's obviously lying!" snapped Soi Fon "She was the one drooling over him and he probably took advantage of her naivety!"

"I AM not that naïve!" screamed Yuzu back.

From here a big fight emerged. The noise filled the room as the Shinigamis split in two teams: the one defending Yuzu and the one attacking her. It was all a chaos with no beginning and no end, just like a trial: the prosecutors throwing unjust accusations, the defending attorneys finding lame excuses for their client and the judge, aka Yamamoto, being the impartial part in all of it.

While everyone was busy contradicting with each other, Karin didn't move from the spot. She didn't come to her sister's rescue in any way. Any kind of action was doomed to fail and if she opened her mouth, it was no doubt she would have said something that might have shocked the whole room. And under usual circumstances she would have damned it all to hell and thrown herself in the battle like a mindless beast.

But those times were over. Her recklessness had margins and she was no fool to show them the truth. The truth she didn't want uncovered. The truth she swore to protect with all her might. All that she needed to do was to keep quiet. Let them fight until they deemed it was just about enough and then act like nothing had happened. The best way to lie was to not tell the truth, in conclusion not say anything at all.

The only sign betraying her inner conflict was her lips pressed firmly in a straight line.

Gin watched her with the corner of his eye. Karin could feel it on her neck and onto her face and it itched her continuously, because she instinctively knew Ichimaru Gin was aware of her secret. A secret she had begged God to keep away from her family. Something nobody should have known. Yes somehow Gin was aware of it, or he wouldn't have eyed her like a criminal. Not that he wasn't a shabby individual, but his judgment was certainly better than all of The Soul Society gathered in one mind.

She didn't dare move, albeit it gave her quite an irritating feeling of helplessness. All she could do was wait for the inevitable to happen and pray to the sky above for her intuition regarding Gin to be, indeed, wrong.

"With all due respect don't you think you're forgetting about the other twin?" suddenly said Gin, when a short moment of silence emerged.

'_Karin! Do not panic!_' she commended internally '_Act natural; don't let them suspect a thing_'

The order sounded so dry in her ears; just like Ichigo's, so called, heavenly intervention.

"Hm? Nah Karin is not the type to do something like that" he stated calmly.

'_Don't say that Ichigo …!_'

"Are you absolutely sure Kurosaki Ichigo? Are you one hundred percent sure Aizen wouldn't have preferred the thrill of actually trying, than an easy prey" his eyes darted in Karin's direction "One can prefer the hunt rather than … the taste. And we all know my ex-Captain was not the type to take the easier path."

Those words made Karin cringe in disgust and realization hit like a boomerang.

She remembered _him_ so clearly. His big hands, always too big for her petite body, but he never complained about it. His lips always being so hungry for her.

From what she had heard, relationships were all passionate and touchy the first two weeks then, as time passed, the partners would just get into a pattern which, in time, could either became platonic or simply end. Yet she and Aizen never experienced something like that. It was quite the opposite. With every week spend together he would get even more possessive, he would love her more viciously and his passion would burn her out.

Was that why she had fallen for him in such a short time? Because he was the only one not like others? Because he had been the one to take notice of her, other than a tomboy or a soccer Captain, other then a bully or a protective sister? Or maybe all of the above …

She never found it strange to have him looming over her, watching down with the eyes of a predator. The hunt, the prey, the chase, the catching, the violation … and the submission. She had gone trough all of those phases without even noticing.

Ichimaru's words had switched in her something she did not know existed.

Nausea and pain invaded her body. Not only had her view of the relationship had been twisted a second time, but the new change was even worse than the previous. Had she really been just an excitement? The excitement of having the one you cannot have in your bed.

Ichigo was about to snap at the man, when his eyes made contact with Karin's horrified eyes.

"Kar-r-in?" the stutter made Karin flinch back "Why are you …" he did not finish the question because every pair of eyes in the room had switched from Yuzu to Karin.

What those dark blue eyes reflected could not be expressed into words. It was painful to watch the perfect mask of indifference that a child had worked so much to build crumble, piece by piece, under the piercing gazes of the elite of Soul Society. And those eyes, those powerful eyes Gin had admired a couple of times, were trembling with fear. Shame, the shame of knowing her lie was out and she could not do anything to stop it from spreading.

Gin look at her in pity. Nobody else knew how messed up that girl was; only he did and had just helped them kick her while she was down. And he knew they will kick her until she won't be able to move, until her last piece will scatter into the wind. How unlucky can a poor kid get? he wondered curiously.

With her last drop of strength Karin tried to make a dash out of the room, but the legs didn't get her too far as Ichigo grabbed his sister's shoulders and shook her "Karin say something!" his panicked voice was something the girl didn't want to hear.

'_Lie to them Karin. You can lie to them! They will never know_' whispered a voice from inside '_Lying is better for all of them. Lying is the only option for you, because otherwise you'll see the dark side of your friends; you will see them looking down on you and judging you for falling in love_' the voice got even stronger '_Lie_!'

"No! You did not! You're not the type to do such things. DAMN IT KARIN! Say something for Christ's sake! Say you did not … do that …"

She had always been a bad liar, but there under the judging gazes of so many people her façade shattered slowly, but surely. Weather she lied or not it did not matter. She could see it in Ichigo's eyes. She could see it in everyone's orbs. They already knew the truth. She could say anything … from that point on all her options had been rejected.

"I … am sorry Ichigo"

He let her go, slowly stepping back. Silence buzzed in his ears as he stared down at the black bundle of hair. His precious sister, the one he had trusted to have a head on her shoulders had gone and did … that behind his back. He felt betrayed. If it had been Yuzu instead he might have been furious and angry, but not disappointed.

"Since when" he inquired dryly.

"Ichigo …" she pleaded.

"Since when?" his voice suddenly filled with newly found fury "Since when had you been fucking him Karin?! Since when have you been saying you'll sleep at a friend's house when you were actually being his fucking who …"

Karin's eyes snapped open "Be careful what you say Ichigo, because you cannot take it back once the words leave your mouth." her voice deadly calm, mask back in place.

If before she had been scared, now a peace had enveloped her and a coldness he was not accustomed with.

"Answer the fucking question" braked Ichigo.

"I will not" Karin answered coldly.

Toshiro was in shock, watching as his friend overcame with ease the temperament of the hero of Soul Society. He did not believe her capable of all the things Ichigo had accused her of, albeit she had indirectly admitted doing them. Even as the once sarcastic tomboy masked her emotions into a cold, indifferent woman, he simply could not believe it.

"This is a development I did not expect" said Unohana calmly.

The Captain Commander coughed in his hand, all the attention going back on him.

"So … after all Captain Kurotsuchi had been right" he mumbled more for himself, then he looked at Karin with interest "I know Aizen can be very manipulative once he gets his mind to it, so I will not judge or punish you in any way for falling into his trap. That would be rather hypocritical. He had been able to fool all of us" he gestured at the Captains "with his smooth attitude. However" his voice dropped "I cannot forgive this secrecy. You should have told us right away. As a Kurosaki and a person with a decent amount of reiatsu, you should have known how important information is in a Society as large as ours."

"I am neither part of your society, nor inclined to share information with you" the cold voice echoed in the room arising animosity in the present crowd.

"How long have you been in touch with Aizen Sosuke?" asked Yamamoto, dismissing her previous denial.

He saw her as a stupid child who had gone trough enough for a lifetime, so he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, seeing that his subalterns were not inclined to.

It took her a moment to answer, but with a sigh she answered reticently.

"Since the beginning of October"

"I see. And how did the two of you meet."

"He had been placed in the school's soccer team as goalkeeper and I am the team's captain, so …"

"Why did you keep it a secret from your family?" continued to inquire Yamamoto.

"Various reasons" she answered ambiguously.

"That's not an answer"

"It is in my book" counterattacked Karin begrudgingly.

The inquiry took half an hour and Karin answered curtly to the questions she had deemed worth answering. Trough the whole ordeal she tried to dismiss the voices and whispers she heard from the lieutenants, but nothing could prepare her for Renji's opened fury, Rukia's disappointment and Toshiro's sadness.

Why was he sad? He was just as at fault as Ichigo and the incompetents from Soul Society. Yet they all dared to look down on her in that second, like she was some filthy whore who spread her legs for every dick she saw in sight. It was not her fault the only man ever interested in her was a homicidal maniac. It was not her fault that maniac was damn good looking, and very good in bed.

When Yamamoto was about to ask his last question somebody interrupted him, somebody unexpected.

"Did it feel good?" screamed Yuzu, her eyes staring upon Karin with disgust.

Karin avoided her angry gaze, pained by her sister's behavior but not ready to give her a piece of her mind.

"Answer me!? Did it feel good to screw around with the one I was interested in?" Yuzu's voice thundered again "YOU had told me he was dangerous. YOU had been the one to advise me against dating him! YOU had been the one right all along! Then why didn't you follow YOUR own advices! Are you so much of a HYPOCRITE KARIN?!"

Karin didn't move. She was not inclined to show any sign to her sister.

In that moment she was a rock. Ichigo, albeit silent, was not in a good mood. Actually the fact that he didn't scream or express him mind meant one thing: he was as upset as one could get.

"Let's go home." he mumbled.

Yuzu nodded, while Karin kept her eyes up. She was trying not to cry. She was above crying in front of them; she was better than that.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Aizen was staring at some plans when a short pain crossed his back. He peered down at the rock embedded into his chest. The soft blue light became more intense and he was attacked by a pure feeling of nothingness.

"She's sad" he said, closing the hand around the Hogyoku "and she's lonely" his voice cracked at the end.

Of course the first two weeks were a nightmare. Actually feeling the despair Karin was feeling all the pain was excruciating, but what he felt from her now was different. Loneliness was something he was accustomed to feel, from himself, but not from her. She had always been the sun in his life, radiating with a soft, warm energy; sometimes becoming a volcano and splashing with lava, but never as cold as ice. Now the light was gone. At first a ray, then two and in the end all had been plunged into darkness.

He rose up from the chair and looked onto the dessert then up at the artificial sun he had created. Artificial or not, that sun had been a source of comfort.

"I wonder if it's my sun's time to set."

His heart could not shoo away the thought that he had been at fault for whatever Karin was experiencing, but he pleased himself with the excuse of being the evil guy in the story, therefore Karin shouldn't have hoped so much from him.

Yet how he missed her; her voice, her fingers playing on his skin like they belonged there, her mouth twitching in that dazzling smirk or her tongue as she licked her lips sensually, calling him to take her.

And her heavenly eyes, the eyes of a Kurosaki, but more so the eyes of a powerful woman. In his many years he had never met someone able to look at him and stir such deep reactions. And he was one of the oldest Shinigami. Why would fate hate him as much as to make the only good woman for him his enemy's sister; life was one big cliché it would seem.

In the end, he could conclude, he missed every part of her. Then why was his lover feeling lonely?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Do you have any idea why Aizen can feel what Karin's feeling?

I hope this chapter had been good enough. Of course I ain't pleased with it. :) Unfortunately my lack of a vocabulary stopped me from expressing Karin's emotions properly, but I hope I managed to make it as decent as possible.

My favorite is the title, "kicked while you're down" don't know if it's good enough but as I was writing Gin thinking of Karin's situation I realized she was really being kicked while still in a deep depression.

I did not detail the part where the Captains are fighting because I thought it was unnecessary for the story to have a couple of dialogues where over 20 people are fighting.

Hope the next update will come soon. Next chapter we see the reactions different people have at the news (Isshin, Yoruichi and Toshiro) and Karin's further break down.


	30. A silent cry

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

**This chapter has been betaed by Szayels Angel**

**And the new cover belongs to KureaRinyu37furansu**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 30: A silent cry**

"_When I think about Karin's behavior it all becomes so clear. The first sign was when she said she'll be at a friends for a study session. The second was one week later, when she skipped classes for a whole day. And the third was when she spent an hour looking out through the window at gods know what. I should have known there was something wrong with her. If only she wouldn't have been secretive with me, maybe this … would have never happened, or our brother would have realized sooner that the one I and Karin loved was Soul Society's number one enemy._

_From the start I had felt that fraternal twins had to know everything about each other, but when had the bond between us shattered? I guess it was all so gradual I had failed to notice. Just as I failed to notice my sister maturing from a tomboy into a gorgeous woman. Where had I been when all these changes occurred?_

_Where had I been when everything I had known changed so drastically?_

_Why can't I be little again … without a care in the world. Just me, Karin, dad, mom and Ichigo; a picnic in the park under the sakura trees, enjoying each other's company and playing in the grass as mom and dad laughed._

_It was so simple back then …_"

Kurosaki Yuzu's diary

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Toshiro didn't move as the Captains exited the building one by one.

Surprisingly there was little chatter after the Kurosaki siblings left. It seemed like everything they were supposed to discuss had evaporated into thin air. Unfortunately, Captain Commander had forced them through urgent matters, as he called them, but none were in the mood to listen to paperwork related issues. Not after the scandal related to Aizen's so called mistress which, in the end, proved to be true.

Therefore Toshiro decided to stay a little longer and inquire The Commander of the events and decisions previously decided.

"Captain Hitsugaya?" asked Yamamoto, after the others had left.

"May I speak freely sir?"

The older man stroked his beard, thinking whether to give the younger captain the approval to ask what he desired to ask "You may"

"Why didn't you push Karin a little bit more. I must confess I expected you to convict her to prison for life, not let her walk away like she did nothing wrong."

"Do you think she did something so dreadful that she would deserve my punishment?"

It took a moment longer to answer and the old Shinigami noticed Toshiro's almost unnoticeable hesitation.

"No"

"You obviously do Captain." stated the Commander calmly "It's quite clear you do not understand your friend's feelings. She had been through a lot and judging that Aizen had managed to make a fool out of me so many times, as I previously said, it would have been a … hypocrisy to convict her of something I am equally guilty. And the same rule applies to you Captain. You, who had trusted Aizen with your sister's life and been so unmistakably wrong, should know better than anyone else how deceiving Aizen can be as a person."

For a moment Toshiro was inclined to open his mouth and build a smart comeback which could shatter away the old man's reasoning, but nothing came in his mind. He was so angry that even to defend himself seemed pointless. After all it was the second time Aizen chose one of his dear friends to mess with. Sometimes he wondered if he was doing it on purpose.

"Do not judge a child whose only guilt is the one of being too trusting of people." finished Yamamoto his speech. By the way he said it, Toshiro could only interpret it as a scolding and, for some reason, it made his feel like a child caught with the hand in the cookie jar.

"Why do you think Aizen chose her? I must confess I thought his type was more like the other twin." he continued to ask, hoping the annoying feeling of helplessness would dispel into thin air. It clearly didn't work.

"This is something I fail to understand, but Ichimaru said he might have preferred the hunt over the prey and I'm inclined to believe his words." Yamamoto's tone faltered at the end, sign of a lie.

"So Karin was just a sport?" inquired Toshiro, hungry for details.

"Basically"

"I don't think that is your honest opinion Sir."

Yamamoto closed his eyes and grumbled darkly "Maybe it isn't, but that doesn't change the facts."

Without faltering Toshiro asked "Then what's your true opinion?"

"That you should be dismissed, Captain Hitsugaya."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I cannot believe she did something like that!" screamed Renji at his companions, each enjoying a bottle of sake "It's Karin we are talking about! Ichigo's little feminine personality clone. It's as unbelievable as Ichigo betraying us and joining the Espada."

"You heard her" stated Yumichika calmly "She practically confessed. Though it is highly unlikely she had been lying, I still find it strange for Aizen to actually copulate with someone, woman or man."

"I really ain't in the mood to think of that! The mental images are killing me Yumichika" exclaimed Ikkaku at his buddy, taking a huge gulp of alcohol from his cup "Only a whore would throw herself in bed with a man she barely knew. Don't care how much you defend that Kurosaki creature; my opinion is settled." He slammed the bottle unceremoniously in front of Renji, who took it and proceed to drain the last drops of alcohol.

Yumichika clicked his tongue disapprovingly at his friend's rushed opinions. As it happened in the Captain's meeting everyone chose a side and stuck with it in an argumentative discussion. And he was alone on the girl's side. It gave him an annoying feeling of helplessness and maybe a little bit of disappointment at the other's inattentiveness. They were too busy judging some poor child to see their own flawed judgment.

After all Karin had been an innocent victim just like Hinamori, Kira and Hisagi. She had been a mere puppet in the unbeautiful game of power and influence. And just like the three lieutenants she had been used and made a fool of.

"I agree she is not a saint, but let's be honest: Aizen Sosuke is the perfect alpha male." He replied while taking another shot of sake.

"An Alpha male that likes to stab people, especially women" Mumbled Renji begrudgingly.

"…" Rukia, who was stationed between Renji and Yumichika seemed to disagree "I know Karin since she was 11. I cannot think she would do that for no reason"

"Yet she never told to anyone she was doing him" Concurred Yumichika "from shame maybe. She's quite young and to be with a guy at this age, especially one that has a number of years on you …"

"Almost 300" Laughed Ikkaku "talk about robbing the cradle"

"or the grave" Joked Yumichika.

"You don't know her like I and Renji do!" Rukia exclaimed angrily "She's not the secretive type, she just … hides her feeling pretty well."

"I don't need to know her to see she's one tough bitch" Said Yumichika calmly "and I don't need to see her emotions to understand how much she loved that man."

Everybody watched Yumichika in awe. He had always been the gossip type, but for him to half praise a woman was something nobody had seen him doing. Except with Matsumoto, but she was beautiful and perfect (as he liked to remind Ikkaku daily).

"She is tough, I guess" Said Hisagi, who had been silent till then "but I think we all give her too much credit. She's a girl who slept with the wrong guy. It happens. I think we're making a big deal out of something that is fairly simple."

Rukia nodded and proceeded to empty her glass. As much as she liked to contradict Hisagi and all the others, somewhere inside she knew they were right. After all Karin had other issues apart from having Aizen as an ex-boyfriend. She had Yuzu as the cheated sister, an unknowing father and a very angry brother. If she was feeling something towards the girl, it was pity. Pity for being blessed with such a strong personality, for being a sustaining pillar for an already shaky family and being … too proud to lay her affairs in front of her siblings.

She glanced at her read headed companion, wondering whether Karin was a little bit like her or whether she was just an entirely different person. Rukia knew she had hidden some of her own problems–especially the ones starting with _Ichi_ and ending with _go_- from her adoptive brother, and her family dynamics weren't always so wonderfully perfect, but …

She shook her head. She was just as helpless as Karin when the opposite sex involved; still to love someone like Aizen was beyond Rukia's area of understanding.

Had Karin really loved Aizen that much, or was it just some not so innocent fun she had with him? She released a sigh, realizing she might never find out the answer to that particular question. And in the end, she didn't mind if she never did.

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All that Karin could remember on her way back was a black chaos, the blurry image of a worm-like creature chasing them. While everybody was screaming and pushing her forward (for a moment all the animosity forgotten) Karin's emotions were having some kind of seizure. Neither fear, nor pain; neither melancholy nor anger. All that she felt was a void, a void full of nothing.

Neither a feeling nor even the tiniest bit of expression crossed over her face the entire time. Just like an obedient rock she followed her siblings wherever they desired to go. The two shinigami that were accompanying them to the exit were throwing unfriendly looks at her from time to time, but when they saw no reaction came out of it they gave up and decided to ogle the beautiful twin instead.

When they got out, and the Japanese-styled gates closed behind them, the nerves and annoyingness was back. Her sister wasn't looking at her and Ichigo was even worse than his usual self.

She was still keeping her tears in check, but nothing could stop her lips from trembling. She had to be strong. She had to ignore it all. Her hands came around her body, keeping the cold away from her damp clothes. Why were her clothes wet, she wondered. Was it from being chased by that worm? A huff of hot air left her mouth and only then she realized it was a cold night of September. Had so much time passed since they left the human world? Half a day?

On her other side Yuzu did the same thing, hugging herself, protecting her body from the cold night.

It was almost ironic how the world chose to mimic Karin's disposition.

"It's cold" Mumbled the blonde twin.

Ichigo barely registered the statement. He was staring into the nothingness laid before his eyes. It was dark and cold and all seemed to be submerge into an abnormal silence.

"Hey guys!" Screamed Jinta "How did the discussion go? I bet …" his voice cracked when the Kurosaki siblings stepped out and their face came in view. Whatever Jinta planned to say didn't come out, frozen into his throat. He stepped aside letting the shop's owner, Urahara, and his mistress, Yoruichi, come closer.

"What happened to you Karin?" Asked Yoruichi, eyeing the black haired girl strangely "your face is kind of funny"

Urahara's mood, on the other hand, was quite the opposite from Yoruichi's. Leave it to the science genius to read the situation and interpret it properly.

"I heard what happened in Soul Society," He was clearly trying not to stare at Karin; actually he was ignoring her presence completely "and I am quite surprised of what the inquiries had dug up" the eyes concealed behind the shadows were suddenly on Karin and, white she was very aware of the disgust oozing from him, she was doing all humanly possible not to spit in his face.

"Yeah" mumbled Ichigo avoiding to look at Karin as well "It surprised us all, to some extent."

Yoruichi seemed to be totally out of it "I don't get it. What happened **that** bad in Soul Society"

Urahara grabbed her elbow gently and guided her toward the shop, with the two curious subalterns hot on his heels.

Ichigo looked after them as they entered the shop and then, as the curious red headed Jinta followed after.

"Let's go home" stated Yuzu plainly, weariness obvious in her voice. Whether it was from being tired or disgusted with the situation they didn't know.

Ichigo nodded and slowly walked towards their house. It was a long walk, the longest Karin had ever had. The pressure of it all and the judging gazes of her brother and sister almost made her burst into tears right there, but she didn't. With all her might, Karin kept her tears in check as her nails dug into the soft skin of her palms. She could feel blood spilling between her nails from the deep cuts left into the fragile skin. She preferred pain over the void left into her heart; she wanted to feel something: anger, pain, just anything that could remind her she was alive, a living human being.

_Slam, slam, slam_ was the sound made by their boots colliding with the damp pavement. It had probably been raining all day and only a couple of minutes before their coming it had stopped. Karin watched her reflection in a puddle and, almost, jumped back, holding up a shriek, when she saw the pitiful image before her eyes.

Long black hair curling over her shoulders at odd angles, making her mane look more like a haystack than a proper hairline. Eyes so empty and cold she could freeze herself to death just by staring into the reflection and the worst of all the big shirt hanging on her. It made her look like a homeless girl and plus the lack of an expression didn't really help. Where were the strong eyes Aizen said he adored so much?

All too soon, the clinic came into view. The girl didn't want to step into the house. She didn't want to face her jovial dad. Seeing Ichigo and Yuzu's disappointment was one thing, but very few knew how much Karin appreciated her lousy father; very few knew that seeing him act like Ichigo, was somewhat destructive for her.

Although her reticence hit the maximum level, she followed her siblings through the door and into the house.

"Welcome home Ichogooooooo" Screamed Isshin, attacking his son just as his foot stepped into the house.

"Dad" came Ichigo's dark voice. It took no time for the goofy father to shake his humorous side away, leaving behind a serious expression "We need to talk."

"What happened?" replayed the man dryly.

His eyes rolled towards Yuzu, who was clearly lost in her own little pink-shaded world, then onto his other daughter, whose face was cold as a block of ice. Soul Society was a scary place indeed, but there was absolutely nothing there that could make his twins act like that. And Ichigo's whole appearance was right damn creepy.

Karin suddenly opened her mouth only for her words to freeze the room with their unnatural coldness.

"Spare me Ichigo of the _shame,_" She sneered the word out with all the repulsion she could muster at that moment "and disgrace of having a family talk."

It took only two second for Isshin to realize what had happened as the sound of skin hitting skin reached his ears. Ichigo had slapped Karin across the cheek, her head spinning 90 degrees and a red mark slowly coloring the abused skin. He barely had time to take it all in, because Karin turned her eyes towards Ichigo, piercing him with a murderous stare. She took a cautious step towards her brother, continuing to watch him like a killer, and her next words made his blood freeze in his veins.

"Touch me again Ichigo and I promise pain will be the only thing you'll be able to feel from now on"

"How dare you talk to me like that." he raised his hand again, hoping Karin would step back and show fear, or at least cringe, but she did neither of those things.

She continued to watch him, daring him to slap her again, daring him to submerge deeper into his own hypocrisy, daring him to sentence himself to a world of pain. In that moment, she was fearless, she was like an angry tigress hoping someone might willingly become her source of food. In that moment she could move mountains with her force; she was capable of doing anything without caring for repercussions, because … she was empty; she was void; she had lost everything: her first crush, her mentor, her innocence, her lover, and now she was gradually watching as she was losing her family one by one.

If they were so disgusted with her, why didn't they just kill her. It would make things easier for both sides.

Ichigo slowly let the hand back at his side and stepped back, scared of what he was seeing in her dark eyes. Then moved his focus on Isshin.

"She was with Aizen" explained Ichigo "She was the one fucking him like a fucking …"

Karin didn't want to listen to her brother's words. She turned around, got out through the door, and disappeared into the night, not looking back to see her father's concerned eyes. Nothing could ever heal the spot left in her heart by her brother's harsh and undeserving words.

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Silence.

Painful silence reeked over the graveyard.

There was not even a creepy owl to make the atmosphere seem a little less macabre, or at least bless the surrounding nature with a sound. Yet nothing changed. All that could be heard at that hour … was silence.

Karin, sprawled in front of her mother's grave, watched the stars above. There was nothing she could do. As vulnerable as she had been as a child, she had thought growing up would make her stronger; would make her wiser, would make her see the truth more clearly. It did none of those things. Instead it fucked her right in the ass.

Silence was all she could feel. Empty … painful … silence.

She grabbed the material covering her chest right above her heart and squeezed her eyes shut under the numbness threatening to overcome her senses.

"It hurts mom" she whispered, biting her bottom lip, hoping the pain of tasting her own blood would shush away the ache of her fragile heart "It hurts so much"

Tears leaked at the corner of her eyes and she turned around, facing the cold earth "I wanna die so badly. I just wanna …" her nails dug into the ground, like trying to dig a hole in which she could hide from the judging eyes of the world. Her one grave laying under her, the only place she could find peace.

Her eyes began to water and she desperately tried to dig into the earth with her bare hands. It didn't take long for her hands to go numb and blood to spill from the nails. She didn't care as she continued to bury her hands in the rock hard soil and cry at the same time. Her vision got blurry and she thought she heard a cracking sound as one of the nails split in two under the pressure. Only then did she stop from digging, watching as blood covered her hand.

Pain. She felt pain. For the first time pain felt good. Because it gave her hope; hope that she could feel again.

She managed to climb up out of the hole she had dug up and slowly watched back at it from its side. How could she create such a void in the earth only with her nails. Was her desperation that great? It clearly was.

Then two strong arms enveloped her in their protective embrace.

"I'm here Karin" He whispered sensually.

His voice so real. Was it a dream? she wondered. But as his lips found hers, she realized she did not care at that moment. Hidden by the dark, their love blossomed right there into something neither was sure, but neither care.

Clothes were thrown on the marble pedestals and soon Karin found herself on a patch of grass on her back, just between two graves. It didn't occur to her how wrong and macabre it all was, drunk with adrenaline and pleasure the head between her legs was spreading into her belly. Her back arched as she felt all the pain she had previously felt melt away due to his skilful hands, or more like skilful mouth. That mouth and those divinely log fingers should have been banned from anywhere near her body a long time ago.

Then, as he gripped her tights and dragged her under him, Karin finally saw his white features under the pale moon. If till then his face had been hidden away by her body parts, now she could clearly see all of his face, his expression, the deep hunger reflected in his eyes and the lust only she could draw from him. She rested her palms on his red cheeks and admired his perfectly shaped face. He was beautiful and he was hers. Hers alone, even in a dream like this she was allowed to think of him as hers and only hers.

She continued to think he was an illusion until the moment he merged with her, then reality hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Stop" she ordered trying to pry him away from her, but his hands dug deeper into her backside pushing him further into her.

"Karin" he whispered into her ear "I want you again" he retreated all the way, and then pushed right in roughly "and again" he repeated the motion even faster "and again". Every push accompanied by his harsh words, every movement sending Karin closer and closer to the edge of abyss.

"No!" she struggled against him "Stop! Don't! I don't want …" but a barely suppressed moan ripped from somewhere inside her throat, betraying her true lust "Gah!"

She grabbed him from around the neck, crushing her lips against his desperately searching for release. She knew he was close, after all those crazy nights spend together she knew every movement, every rhythm he was capable off, yet the desperation she felt from him in that moment was unearthly. He was an unearthly creature by nature, but just that time he was revealing his human side to her, just like she always hoped he would.

Too bad it was all a dream …

She opened her eyes, but the only thing awaiting her was the sky of stars shining above her. Her body ached all over, but her clothes were in their right place and nothing around could betray that something romantic had taken place there. Even the patch of grass they had rolled onto looked to be undisturbed. She rolled onto her side and stiffed at the uncomfortable sensation between her legs.

"I cannot believe I had a wet dream … In a cemetery." She stared back at the sky and began to laugh with all her heart "I am such a pathetic creature" Her laughter didn't cease from blessing the silence and she continued to laugh until the sun raised from the ground and light enveloped her.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the autumn rays.

'_I will never leave you Karin, even after everyone had abandoned you_' whispered the same voice present in her dreams. '_I am you and you are me … we are one. The fire and the sun.'_

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Aizen snapped his eyes opened and threw the sheets aside. Raspy breaths escaped his mouth as he tried to calm himself.

When his feet touched the cold ground, a sting of pleasure crossed his spine. How horny can one be to have a wet dream? Then he looked down and realized that no matter how turned on he felt from having a vivid wet dream he was not hard; at least not yet. One would think such a dream would make him _burst_ with pleasure, literally, yet no spec of dirt was present on his clothes. His eyes darted towards the little blue rock emerging from his chest.

He wondered if the dreams weren't actually something the Hogyoku has seen necessary to happen.

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Another agonizingly long month had passed since the day her family found out about her carnal relationship with Aizen.

The third year of high school had started just two days after the event in Soul Society. Half of her soccer teammates had graduated the previous year and due to her well-known reputation nobody joined the team, therefore it was disbanded soon after the beginning of the semester. The team which had brought so many national trophies to Karakura High School was left to rot and its members distributed to other sport teams.

Karin ,however, didn't want to try another sport and as much as her coach insisted she could be an asset for the basketball team, she declined it politely. Soccer was the sport she loved with passion and there was no way she could ever play another game with as much fervor as soccer. And plus soccer was something bittersweet. What was her team without her favorite goalkeeper?

Apart from abandoning her team nothing had really changed around Karin. Her class was the same, her colleagues were as infuriating as ever, but her heart continued to ache for human companionship. The spot left by Aizen had never been replaced by anyone. True, she had tried dating another guy, one year her senior, but two minutes with him convinced her he was a total dumb ass loser that made Jinta look intelligent. As for her life at home, it was almost nonexistent.

She was leaving the house at 7 AM, before Yuzu or Isshin woke up and after school she was spending her time in the park, on a bench reading for her tests and doing her homework and after that training her speed on a secluded part of the park, where she wouldn't be in anyone's way. And when she came back at 11 PM they were all asleep. She liked it that way. It made things easier for her and for them as well.

If Yoruichi and Urahara ever felt her reiatsu, they didn't come to investigate it. Though Yoruichi had been quite clear when she said she was in no need of a lying student. Karin understood her, a reason why she never sought her help afterwards. Though her reiatsu didn't increase, Karin began to have a better hold on it, at least speed related. She could now consume even less than before on the Shunpo and her moves became faster in time. The lack of a partner proved to be a hindrance at the beginning, but in time she got used to it to the point of imagining Aizen's moves in her head. She also began to learn Kendo from books and practicing hard after school.

How was it to feel a real sword in your hands, she wondered sometimes as she mimicked the moves with a wooden old sword she borrowed from a gang member. Then she would continue training silently and swiftly improving.

The soft voice that had soothed her injuries so many times in her dreams, came from time to time and spoke to her calmly, warmly of a bright future, a happy one. She didn't want to believe it, but even she could not stop the images from emerging behind her eyelids. Her being happy with Aizen in a small house on the margin of a lake, enjoying the sun, curled around each other was more than enough to make her cry, but sometimes in the image appeared little children running around them. That was when Karin could almost hear her heart break in two. Because she instinctively knew she and Aizen had no future together.

And so the long autumn month of September came to an end.

Karin was hanging in the classroom, staring the sky and practically enjoying the view of the town from her seat. A leaf, lost in the wind, passed before her eyes, flying away in the direction it was directing to by the strong gust. She smiled, thinking that in the end life was like a leaf: they were all floating, drifting away, changing directions and in the end there was someone else dictating their path. Someone so much stronger.

The one who said time heals everything was either drunk or very unknowing of how the world works, thought Karin from her seat.

"_Karin_" she heard an inner voice speaking "_Get out_"

She looked around searching for the voice's owner. When she saw no one, she dismissed it as a very early Halloween prank and proceeded to drift off into space. Then she heard it again even louder.

"_Get out Karin!_"

She got up and looked through the window only to see a red Cero approach the school.

"Oh fuck …"

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**I know sex in a graveyard is a little bit … too much, but ehh. I am a little bit eccentric today.**

**Well sorry for the long wait, but I had to get used to the full time job and school. And in the week-ends I was usually too tired to write anything. And I must confess I got rather tired of Bleach. The last 20 chapters felt rather dry and I get the feeling Ichigo gets his ass kissed too often for my liking. I love this couple but from now on I will not follow the manga's new ideas. And the actual Arc, as I said, seems like a Winter War Arc, just much worse (I preferred the Espada over these new villains)**

**Actually I wanted to update the story one month ago or so, but then I received that review in which I was "a jerk" so that destroyed my muse completely. And some were even sarcastic. Sarcasm won't make me update. just saying.**

**Anyways I am saluting you from my snowy town.**


	31. The invasion begins

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.

**This chapter has been betaed by Szayels Angel. The cover belongs to KureaRinyu37furansu**

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**To break is all I know**

**Chapter 31: The invasion begins**

"_I think I've stood in front of this desk countless times before and every single time I had the same dilemma. What if something goes wrong on the battlefield? It was a fair question and one I could never find an answer to. Well I did find answers or at least I've tried to minimize the possibility of something wrong happening and maximize the possibility of success._

_But this time i have no question, no dilemma, no hesitation like last time. This time I will win and nothing will stand in the way of my success. _

_Not even __**her**__ ... _"

Aizen Sosuke's diary

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In the small Kurosaki rezidence, Yuzu Kurosaki was preparing the dinner table. The plates were arranged around the table for the whole family and a spare few were kept just in case one or two of Ichigo's buddies wanted to join them. It was rare however for more than one to come and it was usually because Rukia and Renji had tagged along.

A white, bright cross dangled from a golden chain out of her shirt as she mixed the ingredients together in a steamy pot. Her father had handed her the object without much of an explanation, just telling her it was Masaki's favourite necklace and that is had magical properties. Knowing Isshin it probably had some Urahara essence thing inside it to keep the hallows away. She didn't mind as long as it shined as brightly and beautifully as it did and it complemented her features.

Her mind then drifted to more unpleasant issues.

Even with the conflict going on around Karin and herself, she had kept in a recipient Karin's share for whenever she decided to spare them with her presence. Yuzu really didn't desire to be sarcastic but her sister's behaviour was aggravating to say in the least. And if it was not enough she was being all secretive about how she _occupied_ her time again. She wouldn't have been surprised if, at some point, she had found out Karin had been, in fact, in contact with Aizen all this time.

Maybe she was being a little overdramatic, but there was no other way for Yuzu to release her inner tumultuous emotions. She knew she was acting like a drama queen by still ignoring Karin, though she had been the one to steal her possible lover making her reactions seem a little bit more plausible. Still … she was quite annoyed, and had been annoyed by Karin's lack of cooperation. She had expected, albeit in vain, to see Karin apologise for what she had done, but no apologize not even a word of peace had come from the tomboy twin. In fact she had acted like … they, the family, had been at fault for what had happened.

It was not her or Ichigo's fault at all. Well about Ichigo it was highly debatable since even she had found his recent behaviour annoying as hell. He had been moody; he had been snapping at Rukia on different occasions, which earned him a kick in the nuts every single time, and had been a major asshole to anyone who tried to help him.

Yuzu released a pained sigh and fell in a chair, watching out through the window. That was a rare sight indeed. A beautiful day of September, enriched by a bright sun with no clouds whatsoever. Birds chirping happily on the thick branches and children rolling down the street on their mini bicycles.

What could ever go wrong on such a perfect day?

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The 5th Squad lieutenant, Hinamori Momo, who had just finished hers, and her captain's paperwork (because apparently he had found his first love and needed some time off to swoon her; judging by how many loves he had, this was definitely not the first … or the last), was walking around Seireitei searching for something to occupy her time. She had plenty of things to do, but she was not inclined to move even a muscle to work on them. Plus it was her day off and she meant to spend it with her perfect little brother.

"Shiro-channn" she exclaimed sweetly, popping her head through the cracked door of the 10th Division office "What are you doing there?"  
>"Doing my job. As you can see" he stated coolly, his hand flying on the parchment in front of him, signing off important <span>Seireitei<span> business.

Hinamori made a cute pout and came running, disturbing a pile of paperwork in the process, then feel in the chair beside him, where Matsumoto had previously been restrained. Of course she ran away at the first "I need to go the bathroom Matsumoto" of Toshiro's.

"You want me to help you?" she asked watching over his shoulder at the lines "You seem to be beaten down by these papers Shiro-chan"

"I am not beaten down by anything Momo." excused himself the little boy, putting the pen down and watching her sister from the corner of his eye "Why did you come here?"

While Toshiro had expected a _why do i need a reason to visit my little Shiro-chan_, Hinamori's answer was far from what he had expected to hear from the volcanic, albeit quite innocent girl.

"I wanted to discuss something with you …" she stared at Toshiro and though, he seemed reticent he nodded once "it's about your human friend. About Kurosaki Karin"

These words made Toshiro stiffen up and his back became rigid in a matter of seconds.

"What? About Karin? What it is to be said about Karin"

"I think … i think you are judging her and I also believe she doesn't need … she doesn't deserve to be judged by you, me … us"

The little captain's frown deepened, but his lips continued to remain shut; maybe he was afraid of what he will say if he opens the mouth and the wave of vulgarities that will be released afterwards; or maybe he was not able to explain his feelings regarding the subject.

"Please Shiro-chan just say something. I do not understand why you act so resentful about her. You've never acted like that after the Aizen incident which happen to me or after I woke up from my coma and … said all those things i was not supposed to say to you about Aizen." Her words didn't seem to reach Toshiro, who took the pen and began to sign the papers "Explain to me. Please!" he remained unhearing "Damn it Shiro! what did she do worse than me?"

"She slept with him!" exclaimed Toshiro hitting the table with his fist in a fit of rage. All the papers deposited in organised piles flew around the room and the bottle of ink spread all over the table's surface

Hinamori stared at him wide eyed, while he took some napkins and proceeded to clean up the mess he had made.

"I love the fact that you believe I and Aizen had never slept together." she said plainly watching him halt his movements and stare at her in total disbelief.

"What?" he asked thinking his ears were playing a sadistic game on him.

Momo scratched the back of her neck, mumbling a nearly intelligible "Doesn't matter" under her breath. She had clearly spoken without thinking yet again; her awkwardness serve only as proof for that.

"Of course it does!" he grabbed her shoulders, turning her around to face him "Explain what you've just said! There is no way I am letting this subject drop …"

The shrill noise of an alarm echoed all over the white city of Seireitei. Voices could be heard from outside coming from scared Shinigami running all around the city. Momo grabbed Toshiro by the arm and dragged him outside. Seeing all the panic which was spreading all around them, made Momo's heart pulse with doubled intensity. Something was very wrong. And even though she had no idea what, she could only guess it was important and vital, or the alarm wouldn't have gone off on such short notice.

"Is Aizen attacking?" asked the girl trying to understand why people were running like that.

She seized a Shinigami's arm, but he just continued on his way, yanking his arm back. She was about to ask Toshiro of his divisions' high degree of impoliteness when a butterfly landed on her brother's finger.

With all the Captain vibe he could muster, the boy listened to the message while Hinamori was trying to calm everyone down. She looked at his face, trying to deduce the gravity of the situation based on his expression, yet what he saw on his face … was pure fear and helplessness. If before she thought something was very wrong, now, seeing Toshiro freeze like that in the middle of the road made her realise how bad it really was.

"Shiro-chan! What is going on" screamed Momo at him trying to attract his attention back to her. She couldn't move him even an inch and his eyes continued to stare into nothing. She understood why, moments later when someone whose voice she didn't know came through Soaring Net of the Heavens

"All entries to the Human world had been sealed. Soul Society had been cut off from the Human World. The 12th squad is working to find a solution to this problem along with the exiled ex-captain Urahara Kisuke. We hope to find a solution as soon as possible. Until then prepare for battle. We are not sure who had caused this problem, but we have a suspicion it's the ex-Captain, traitor and killer, Aizen Sousuke."

Toshiro grabbed Momo's arm waking her up from the daze.

"Momo listen to me! I need you to go to your Squad and prepare them for battle. I need to go to the Captain's meeting right now." she nodded absently and then left him in the middle of the street to do his job.

He stared after her running form and thought with a clenched heart '_I hope Karin and Yuzu will stay out of this. I pray they will_.'

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Karin barely had time to jump out through the window, just as the Cero struck the school and blew it off entirely. From the ground, rolled in a ball, Karin watched as ashes and smoke rose to the sky only to be thrown back on the ground by a strong wind. The sky became black and the fire began to spread to the nearby buildings.

Everything looked like the beginning of the end of the World. She heard sirens in a distance, almost like she was into a cave and everything was happening outside while she was safe in her little shell. With a little bit of effort, Karin was able to raise from the ground and get away from the fire's kernel just as a gas conduct exploded under the place she had previously landed on. If she hadn't moved from that sport, there was no way that explosion would have left her a living human being.

The explosion's wave pushed her forward onto the pavement and Karin found herself with her eardrums banging painfully into her head. All that she could think was that someone up there must have really loved her at that moment much more than it had loved her before or was just finding her struggles to stay alive quite entertaining.

"Miss are you ok?" asked an ambulance doctor who had magically appeared at her side and was checking her pulse.

When he had appeared was something Karin was not sure because her head weighed around a tone and it took some time to analyse and understand the question. Maybe she had a commotion or something had split her head in two for her brain to process the information at such a slow speed.

"That's the stupidest question I have ever heard, doc" said the girl, grabbing onto the man's arm and using him as support "Of course I am not fine. Who can be fine after getting away from death two times and lives to tell the tale."

He tried to stop her advancement, but she pushed his hand away.

"I need to get home right now. My family might be in danger"

"You are not going anywhere. You are hurt and I think your arm is broken, but until we perform an X Ray we cannot be sure. We will get you to the hospital right away"

"Shhh" said Karin "Shut up for a moment"

The ambulance man began to apostrophize her and talk and talk and talk some more, yet she was not listening to even a word of it.

Her eyes raised to the shy, seeking for something her gut was telling her was or will be there. And it came fast enough. The air became harder, filled with a metallic odor and the sky cracked in two. Karin's eyes winded, her apprehension growing exponentially. While she had seen plenty of Shinigami come and go from Soul Society, the arrivals were done with the help of those Japanese traditional, and very fancy, gates, but somehow the crack that was opening slowly but surely wasn't resembling them in the least. It was more of a dark mouth opening to swallow the world; and to make it worse a black substance smeared its corner.

Apart from begin an image cropped out of a horror movie, a big slimy creature stepped out through the gate and licked its gummy lips. If it was a hollow or another creature created in the dark pits of Hueco Mundo it was of no importance. What mattered was that its mere presence made Karin's insides swarm with fear and repulsion.

"Holy God …" said Karin stepping back.

When the words left her mouth, the creature's attention focused on her and she cursed the day god hadn't rendered her speechless. A slimy smile spread on the creature's lips and without further notice it descended upon her rapidly. Karin barely had time to dodge it as it crashed into the earth.

While she had been lucky enough to get out of the creature's way, the doctor and the ambulance driver hadn't been, proving to be its first human victims. She cringed watching the car being squashed entirely under the impressive weight. The creature didn't seem to mind the metal piercing its skin its attention being solely focused on the black haired Kurosaki.

Karin looked around for any kind of weapon, then she remembered her training with Yoruichi and her voice guiding her '_When you have no weapon on yourself don't forget you have fists harder than any stone and sharper than any sword_. _Your body and your mind are the most frightening weapons ever created, because unlike a sword they will stay with you forever. Don't lose them Karin; when you lose them you lose your life._'

Nice words coming from the demon cat, but unfortunately it only told her to stay alive while fighting with the only thing she had on her … herself.

The only notice she got was a static sound and the creature disappeared. Yoruichi had told her this was the Hollow Shunpo and it was called a Sonido and that, if you listened well enough you could just here a small, subtle noise just from the spot the creature would appear. She knew it was dangerous, and that she could just run away in a super powered up Shunpo, but it was not her style to flee from a scene where there was a small chance she could win.

While the creature seemed to be quite a challenge, it was also big and heavy. It probably moved at an impressive speed for its weight, but it couldn't rival her own speed. And she was right. In a moment the creature appeared behind her but before it could strike Karin was already aiming a punch in it's big belly throwing it back into the buildings.

It released a growl of pain and disappeared in a puff of light.

"That was fairly easy" she stated out loud "So who wants a piece of me ha!" she screamed at the sky daring him to unleash its mightiest attack. The answer didn't cease to appear as Karin was slammed onto her back, painfully realising her head had taken the worst blow.

A strong pressure held her down, almost like an invisible hand was pressing onto her lungs. She grabbed her neck. She could not breathe; smoke from the previous explosions filled her lungs, but she could not move in order to get far away from the irrespirable air. In that moment she felt like a fish out of the water.

With all her might, she managed to raise from the ground, even though her whole body was screaming in agonising pain, and squirm away from the school's ashes. When the pressure disappeared, Karin collapsed against a wall, taking huge gulps of air, like a hungry child who had just found his mother's milk.

"It feels so good to breathe", she concluded as her breath evened out and her vision became clearer and clearer.

She was far from ok, with a throbbing pain in her arm, scratches all over body and smoke filled lungs. Karin was in no doubt her lungs probably looked like those of a vicious smoker's right then, but dying of cancer was the least of her worries; her only hope was to live to see the next day's sunrise.

A Shinigami sandal appealed in her vision and she had to crook her neck in order to see the foot's possessor. What she saw was indeed the last thing she has expected to see.

"Hello li'l Kurosaki." the always smiling face of Gin Ichimaru greeted her "Yo' seem to be in a big pinch"

He slowly gathered her limp body in his arms, cradling her against his chest.

"What is going on?" she asked in a hoarse voice. With all the commotion going around she was in no mood to snap at the man who she found responsible for ruining her reputation in front of the whole Soul Society and her family, but then again thinking more about it made her realise he had only done his job. He was not supposed to keep it a secret.

Her frowning eyes came back on his face waiting for his answer.

"Aizen is attacking." he stated calmly, his smile not faltering. How he could do that was beyond her logic.

"So the pressure I've felt just now …" realisation hit her.

"It's his immense spiritua' energy." completed Gin, stopping his flesh step in front of a pharmacy and letting her down slowly. She had not expected a creepy Shinigami like him to be so gentle, but then again there were many things he didn't know about the Shinigami world and what happened there on a daily basis. In her short life she had learned few things about her brother's job as a Substitute Shinigami, and ever fewer about the people residing in Soul Society.

"Go tend to your wounds" stated Gin, pointing at a stand with different medicinal tampons, bandages, alcohol and many other substances Karin had never heard off.

As she was getting all the necessary medicinal ingredients Gin prepared to flee. Karin, guessing his intention came behind him and grabbed his uniform.

"I want to help"

"You are hurt" he stated.

"I am a Kurosaki"

"One more reason not to let you join the battle."

"Please" begged Karin, though her eyes betrayed how hard it was for her to recognise her weaknesses.

The ex-traitor stared at her face, the omnipresent smile slowly fading from his features.

Maybe at first he had not been able to understand Aizen's reasoning for making Ichigo's little sister his lover. It had been a question many had tried to answer, yet in vain not being able to find an answer mainly because Aizen's personality was too complex for anyone to comprehend. He was known for making strange choices which were supposed to have a hidden meaning and Kurosaki Karin was a good opportunity to both have a strong pawn on the table and satisfy his vendetta against Ichigo. Still Gin could not shake away the feeling that maybe this time the always prepared sociopath had stumbled in his own trap and had been smitten with the young Kurosaki.

There was no doubt the girl was strong willed, albeit a little too bashful, but she was as interesting as they come. While some Shinigami had commented she was quite plain, he failed to see anything but that in her. If anything she was shining like a sun in his eyes, especially in that moment of hardships, staring him dead in the eye. She was, from his perspective, what a queen would look like.

Gin released a sigh and nodded "Very well." then he proceeded to remind her the situation she was planning to go into "Probably Aizen had come here with some of his strongest Arrancars, probably Espada, if there are any alive. I presume yo' kno' what Espada are" after she gave a curt nod, he continued "Fortunately I was able to put a barrier around this place, but that means every human being inside this barrier has been squashed under his power."

"How many people are we talking about"

He stared at her features wondering weather to tell her a pretty lie or the truth. Her eyes reassured him she was more than cable of handling the cruel truth.

"Around 1000."

She hissed in pain. 1000 deaths was too much. Even one was too much, and it reminded her of the mysterious deaths which surveyed before the Winter War just after she had enquired her brother of his extracurricular Shinigami activities. When her ex-lover had been at fault as well.

"My … god …" she managed to say, closing her eyes.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

On the other part of town Yuzu grabbed on the door frame for support, as the explosion's wave hit the house.

"What is going on!" she screamed trying to rebalance herself.

With Ichigo and Isshin gone in Soul Society and Karin wandering god knows where, Yuzu was all alone in the big house. The roof began to shake and pieces from the ceiling continued to detach and distort different furniture pieces as Yuzu was forced to hide and avoid them. Then, when the house seem to lose its stability, she ran to the door and managed to get out just as the south part of the house crumbled.

The big Kurosaki Clinic panel fell and was on the verge of squashing the blonde twin just when a hand grabbed her ankle and got her out in time.

"Jinta!" screamed Yuzu with tears decorating her eyelashes "Jinta!" she threw her arms around the boy's neck and hugged him liker her life depended on it. Then soft sobs echoed from her mouth.

"Shhh it's ok Yuzu. I'm here." said Jinta hugging her closer to his heart "I will not let anything hurt you. Absolutely nothing."

Then the pressure came and Yuzu's vision became black.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

All the Captains were gathered in the small conference room of the 1-st squad. While Soi Fon and Zaraki Kenpachi were asking many questions, everybody else was dead silent; an abnormal silence in times of war.

"What is going on? Freak Show explain to us right now what the fuck is happening!" and by freak show the ninja captain meant the 12th Squad Captain."

"My name is not Freak Show, so please address me by my proper name, the one of Captain Kurotsuchi Mayuri" corrected the scientist, trying to look as hurt as possible. He was known for putting a strange emphasis on always being called by his whole name.

"Fuck that!" growled Soi Fon.

The Captain Commander watched the gathering trough half linden eyes. If one didn't know him enough he might have said he was bored out of his mind, but that was clearly not the case. Anger was tingling at the surface of his wrinkled skin and maybe for the first time in years his old age was obvious; worry made him look like a human and the missing arm made him rethink his decision of not letting Orihime heal it with the God-like powers she possesed.

"As it was said earlier that Aizen had sealed all entries in the human world from every world." stated the Supreme Leader looking room for confirmation.

"That is actually incorrect." said Mayuri smugly, but a harsh stare from Unohana melted the smugness away "He has sealed all entries from and to Soul Society. Which means we cannot open the Senkaimon to the Human World or a Garganta to Hueco Mundo, but there can be opened a Garganta from Hueco Mundo to the Human World."

"That is even worse!" exclaimed Toshiro.

"I don't understand Aizen's reasoning" said Byakuya calmly "Why do it? There is nothing in the Human World that could possibly tempt him. Karakura is not a match for the King's key. The two Kurosakis and Urahara are stationed here."

"Who is in the Human World right now? Capable of fighting." asked Toshiro impatiently.

"Very few. There is the Shinigami stationed there. I forgot his name. There is your lieutenant , Matsumoto Rangiku, Hisagi Shuuhei and Ichimaru Gin." Mayuri gave the report cooly "We can also count the Quincy Ishida Uryuu, Sado Yasutora and Orihime Inoue."

"That is all! All of our fighters! What about Kurosaki?" interjected Toshiro, the well hidden panic beginning to resurface slowly but surely.

"Unfortunately Ichigo and his father had both come here with Urahara to take supplies for his shop. Supplies for fighting against Aizen."

"So apart from that unpleasant traitor and two lieutenants, please tell me there is someone else capable of fighting in the Human World." continued to inquire the young captain.

A long undisturbed silence followed and nobody answered.

The Commander closed his eyes. He just hoped Aizen won't dare come in person in the middle of Karakura. A Shinigami from the 12th Division appeared.

"I am sorry to disturb you Captains, but we have data from the Human World."

Everyone turned their heads towards the source of the new information.

"Hurry up you fool! Tell us!" snapped Captain Kurotsuchi.

"Ex-Captain Ichimaru Gin had created a barrier inside Karakura when he felt Aizen's energy attack the town. Unfortunately around 700 lives had been lost" Silence enveloped the room. The worst thing that could happen, happened. Aizen had come in person in Karakura.

"Any human survivors?" asked Toshiro, his voice trembling with anger and rage. If it wasn't for the scrutinising glare of the Commander he would have gone right through that door and bang his head against every wall standing between Soul Society and the Human World.

"Yes sir." they clearly didn't expect a positive answer "Apart from the 4 Shinigami stationed in Karakura there are 11 more survivors: Jinta Hanakari, Ururu Tsumugiya, Tatsuki Arisawa, Asano Keigo, Mizuiro Kojima, Kurosaki Yuzu, Kurosaki Karin, Don Kanonji, Ishida Uryuu, Sado Yasutora and Orihime Inoue"

"I did not expect that many" confessed Soi Fon "Ichigo's friends and his twin sisters."

"Report the survivors' status" commanded Genryusai with his usual stoic tone.

"Urahara's subalterns are with Kurosaki Yuzu, Ichigo's gang members are as well together and they approach Aizen's position, the others are scattered around Karakura. I doubt they will join the battle. And Kurosaki Karin is apparently with Ichimaru Gin and they … are planning to join the battle as well"

"Karin. She might be a decent fighter, but she is not capable of handling Aizen or his Espada. Tell Ichimaru to knock her out or something." mumbled Toshiro angrily.

"It's too late to do anything" confessed Unohana looking at each of them "Right now we can only help the scientists to solve this problem and … hope the living humans in Karakura will survive this. There had already been too many human deaths."

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN: Aizen sleeping with Hinamori is one of those things which seem too canon to be explained. I do not particularly like the AiHina couple (I cannot say I hate it either), but i cannot deny that there is some chemistry between them.

I had postponed this chapter because .. well .. I hate to write battle scenes; and I had only scratched the surface. Well next chapter will be more dynamic as we see Karin fight on a professional level for the first time.


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